“Burn the place to the ground”: How filming ‘The Shining’ pushed Jack Nicholson to the limit
The life of an actor is not for the faint-hearted, with long hours on set, inconsistent working schedules and a normalised invasion of privacy in your personal life. But hidden among the more intrusive aspects of the job is the golden crux of why people keep doing it: being spurred on by the dream to be lost in a story, to be consumed by a role and to immerse themselves in another life. And with this can come fame, wealth and excess, with glittering parties in the hills and financial stability for those that are successful. However, balancing this lifestyle with the demanding work on set can be very challenging, with Jack Nicholson describing his intense routine while working on one of his most iconic films.
The making of The Shining and the behind-the-scenes stories have become something of an urban legend. Many people debate the practices used by legendary director Stanley Kubrick to instil a visceral level of fear and deranged paranoia in the actors.
Whether it be his insistence on shooting nearly 50 takes for a scene or his allegedly encouraging the crew to ignore the late Shelley Duvall to heighten her feelings of stress, the film’s production has gone down in history as one of the most demanding projects in the director’s filmography.
Kubrick was known for being very meticulous in how he approached his projects, something that Nicholson carried into his own work ethic while also making time to enjoy the simple pleasures of being an actor, choosing to balance the chaotic shooting schedule with his notorious party boy lifestyle.
However, this was more of a challenge during the production of The Shining, with Nicholson explaining, “I get worked up because I want to give the best. I just can’t accept anything that falls below the standard I try to set myself. I have also set challenges for myself over the years. One of them was working with the director Stanley Kubrick (on The Shining), who used to do about 50 takes on scenes so he could get the right one. I thought to myself: ‘This is a test. Can I work at his pace and still get to party?’ So I took the role and I worked in London with him. I was determined to burn the place to the ground, night after night. I would do 12 hours on the movie, party for eight hours, sleep for four and start all over again the next day”.
While some would describe this as a death threat and not a recreational activity, Nicholson was insistent on living the life of a rock star, convinced that he could work and play equally yard. But perhaps in the long run, this only added to the unhinged insanity of his character, playing a man who constantly looks crazed and wild, something that would surely only be enhanced by a poor sleep schedule.
Maybe the ultimate trick in achieving the haggard look of Jack Torrence is by balancing your hard work with an extreme off-duty routine that pushes you to the edge in all areas of your lifestyle, creating the living embodiment of a truly frazzled man.
