Before 1989’s “Batman,” Jack Nicholson’s career was already on a hot streak. In 1988, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Héctor Babenco’s “Ironweed,” where he played opposite Meryl Streep. Prior to that, he had a small role in James L. Brooks’ “Broadcast News.” Perhaps Nicholson regrets playing the Devil in George Miller’s wild witchcraft comedy, “The Witches of Eastwick.” He certainly didn’t play a kooky character in Brooks’ 1984 Best Picture winner, “Terms of Endearment” — that one won him an Academy Award.
After “Batman,” Nicholson also appeared in Mike Nichols’ werewolf film, “Wolf,” although which of these films Nicholson considered “fooling around” remains unknown. Nicholson said to Total Film:
“Around the time of ‘Batman’ I realized I was fooling around careerwise. It was great work and a great film but I didn’t want to be seen as this crazy, Joker figure anymore. I think I had a conversation with myself, a real heart-to-heart, and decided I didn’t like people thinking of me as a fool. I’d done such good work, whether it was ‘Goin’ South’ or ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ or ‘Easy Rider’ … But I think I was kind of losin’ it a little in the quality department. I was doing some movies that I should have backed away from.”
In terms of being “silly” or “fooling around,” perhaps one can point to Tim Burton’s 1996 film “Mars Attacks!” wherein Nicholson played dual roles as the President and as a greasy Las Vegas real estate tycoon. Those characters, of course, were clearly an excuse for Nicholson to cut loose and have fun. It was also another performance in a Burton film, a director he clearly enjoyed working with.
