Vote up the movie details that would make you dance with the devil in the pale moon light.
Perhaps one of the greatest actors in the history of Tinseltown, the great Jack Nicholson has spent the better part of seven decades offering one iconic performance after another. Since his early days as a Roger Corman bit player to an Oscar-winning actor of the highest caliber, every part of Jack's career has been watched, studied, and discussed. Here are few interesting facts and small details that fans have shared over the years that most people might not know. Please vote up the most interesting tidbits.Â
Photo: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest / Warner Bros
After deciding to stoot in the Oregon State Hospital, director Milos Foreman decided to keep with the authenticity of the environment, hiring both staff and even using patients as extras in the movie.
For example, Dean Brooks, the hospital’s director, played Dr. Spivey in the film. It was his idea to use patients as extras in the film.
Overall, over 80 patients were used in the production in various roles and tasks, including an arsonist who was used in set design.
During the filming of Easy Rider, in the scene where Jack Nicholson's character gets high for the first time, they smoked real pot to get the most realistic reaction from Jack Nicholson.
In an interview with Aaron Sorkin from Entertainment Weekly, the writer/director talked about his experience working with Jack Nicholson on A Few Good Men, particularly his delivery of his iconic line, "You can't handle the truth":
'We spent the entire day just shooting that speech,' Sorkin said. 'There came a time when he didn’t need to be there anymore because we’re doing coverage of other people. The director Rob Reiner said, ‘Jack you don’t have to keep doing this three-page speech.’ He said, ‘Nah I just love to act,’ and he kept doing it all day and all night. There’s nothing like having your first movie experience be with Jack Nicholson.
Jack Nicholson was a huge fan of the Purple One and suggested Prince for the soundtrack.
According to Prince, the actor was the inspiration for the song "Partyman." After meeting him on the set, the artist stated in a Rolling Stone interview:
[Jack Nicholson] just walked over, sat down and put his foot up on a table, real cool...He had this attitude that reminded me of Morris [Day] — and there was that song.
For the scene in which Jack breaks down the bathroom door, the Props Department built a door that could be easily broken. However, Jack Nicholson had worked as a volunteer fire marshall and tore it apart far too easily. The Props department were then forced to build a stronger door.
Did you know... Jack Nicholson had worked as a volunteer firefighter, so when he tore down the bathroom door in The Shining, he decimated the prop door too easily and had to use a real door. pic.twitter.com/MuSJtxlzwn
In the horror classic The Shining, the door Jack Nicholson tears down was originally meant to be a prop door. Nicholson, being a volunteer fire marshal tore it down too fast. As a result, the door in the final film is a real door.
