I just realized that he hasn't been in a movie in 10 years.
Did he announce his retirement?
shareI don't think it was ever officially announced, but I remember there was speculations that he was having memory issues.
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MovieChat Forums > Jack Nicholson Discussion > I just realized that he hasn't been in a...
I think the expression is they've 'closed the doors'. I remember it from when Liz Taylor stopped making films and stopped making public appearances. No official announcement, just stepping away from the pressures and to preserve whatever legacy they have.
shareMaybe a semi-retirement. He'll only be in something that's amazing.
shareI've no idea what shape he is in but I think he's gone for good. Also potentially risky - thinking way-back to when Cagney reappeared to do Ragtime and it was not well received.
share"Ragtime" got mixed reviews, but is an interesting movie, well worth seeing. As for Cagney's performance, it was quite well received.
shareI liked the film when it came out but as I remember it Cagneys' decision to appear was judged a mistake. He just seemed too old and arthritic to carry the role. But I've not seen it for years and have read the book since so it would be interesting to see it again.
shareYou are incorrect. Cagney was fine in Ragtime and critics welcomed his return with open arms while admitting the film wasn't perfect.
shareSort of. I remember a TMZ style ambush interview where he said something to the effect of, "It's enough, isn't it?"
shareIf that's the case then this should be a bigger deal.
shareNobody cared when Connery sort of retired under similar circumstances and suspected health concerns.
The thing is, when you declare a formal retirement, I think they stop sending you scripts. Stop treating you like an actor. You're put out to pasture. If you keep it ambiguous, you're still part of the business. You get to feel involved even if you're not. And you never know, a golden egg movie project might yet drop in his lap.
Maybe when people hear "retirement", they think it's translation for "leave me alone".
share/The thing is, when you declare a formal retirement, I think they stop sending you scripts. Stop treating you like an actor. You're put out to pasture. If you keep it ambiguous, you're still part of the business./
Yeah I was thinking this as well. Many old/great actors stop making movies without officially retiring as to maintain their legacy.
And hasn't made a good movie in 40.
BURN!
shareDon't act like The Departed and As Good as it Gets aren't good.
shareI couldn't stand As Good as it gets. Guess it's a matter of taste, but I thought the script and acting were awful. And i hate Helen Hunt! Departed, just another Scorsese gangster film...not my type of thing. The last good film I recall is The Shining. Hated Terms of Endearment, A Few Good Men. Sorry, that's my take on it. However loved most his 1960s & '70s films!
shareYeah, he hasn't been in that many great films. I have Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown and The Shining in my collection, and that's it, I think. He is a very entertaining and likeable actor, but the movies he has been in haven't always been that great, IMHO.
shareYou didn't like Batman?
shareI believe a couple of months before the pandemic he was in the news that he had been in talks for a role in a new movie.
Yes, there had been rumors about memory loss.
But in the few public appearances he has made in the last couple of years he seems to be the same old Jack, nothing impairing him.
He has said that he loved to act though, there are many stories about his co-stars saying that when the camera was not on him and they would usually use a stand-in he would remain on set and act with you and would always give you 100%... one of those times was during the courtroom scene of A Few Good Men where he was told politely that he didn't have to be there if he didn't want to and he said he knew that but he wanted to stay for his co-stars because HE LOVED TO ACT and rarely got such great dialogue to play with.
It's a shame he hasn't kept doing movies (even if at a more slower rate, more selective) because he is one of my favorite actors.
I'd hate if his last movie was that James L. Brooks one that no one likes or saw. He deserves a good sending off.
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