Jack Nicholson Still Declining Movie Roles, Wants To Instead Sit Under A Tree

Jack Nicholson made his final movie appearance in the rom-com How Do You Know 13 years ago. In a recent interview on WTF With Marc Maron, his longtime friend Lou Adler revealed that Nicholson is perfectly content with that relatively forgettable film being his farewell to the big screen, and to tend to more important matters.

“A friend of mine wanted to put him in a movie,” Maron said after asking Adler how Nicholson was doing (via The Wrap). “And he had a conversation with him. But Jack says, ‘I don’t want to do it.’ He goes, ‘You know what I did today? I sat under a tree and I read a book.'”

Adler replied, “That sounds like Jack.” According to Adler, Nicholson now seeks a quieter existence, and this anecdote also aligns with identical reports that have emerged over the past decade, describing Nicholson’s leisurely pastime of reading under the shade of trees, and letting his legacy stand.

This quieter lifestyle also extends to Nicholson’s attention-grabbing attendance in the front row of Lakers games at the Crypto.com Arena. Adler, 89, shared that he and Nicholson, 86, have both scaled back their appearances at these events. “I still go, but I don’t go to as many,” Adler said. “I used to go to every game–Jack and I would be at every game.”

Incidentally, Nicholson’s seemingly uneventful departure from acting bears a resemblance to Gene Hackman’s exit from the industry. Hackman’s last movie role was in 2004’s Welcome To Mooseport. Afterward, he shifted his focus to writing novels. In the past two decades, his only on-screen appearance was appearing as a diner patron on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

You can listen to the complete interview with Adler, known for producing The Rocky Horror Picture Show and directing Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke. Additionally, he was the founder of The Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip, a club that played a pivotal role in launching many careers.

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