Jack Nicholson is often considered one of (if not the) best actors of all time. His passionate delivery and uncanny ability to play crazy, demented characters are second to none, but his versatility is also seriously impressive.
Across a career that is currently in its sixth decade, he has certainly been provided his fair share of brilliant lines, delivered with equal brilliance. We’ve collected ten of the best quotes from characters Jack Nicholson has portrayed.
The Shining: “Wendy, Darling, Light Of My Life…”
We all know how much Stephen King hated Stanley Kubrick’s phenomenal adaptation of The Shining. It led to the creation of his own shambolic TV series, replacing Nicholson with a wooden, unoriginal lead. In the original film, Nicholson is in his greatest form ever.
One of the highlights comes when Jack Torrance is following Wendy (equipped with a baseball bat) up the stairs of The Overlook Hotel. His twisted look and demented delivery only add to the brilliant writing of the spine-tingling line: “Wendy, darling, light of my life, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just gonna bash your brains in. I’m gonna bash them right, the fuck, in”.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: “Not A Thing, Doc”
The film adaptation of Ken Kasey’s unique novel is one of the rare examples of a film being better than its source material. One of the factors that really help that happen is the performance of Nicholson as Randel McMurphy.
There are various quotes from the incredible supporting cast that would make a list of ‘best film quotes of all time’, but McMurphy opens the film with a quote that sets up the entire film and the confusion of whether he really is mentally ill. When asked if he thought anything was wrong with his brain, he replies “Not a thing, Doc”.
Chinatown: “To Tell You The Truth, I Lied A Little”
Despite coming from the extremely controversial mind of Roman Polanski, there is no denying that Chinatown is one of Nicholson’s best roles ever, with his perfect acting complimenting the powerful and twist-filled storyline. The greatest quotation we can take from Nicholson’s JJ Gittes is his multi-layered “to tell you the truth, I lied a little”.
Juxtaposing the admission of lying with an assurance of truth is a great way to demonstrate the untrustworthy nature of the character, providing Nicholson with yet another brilliantly complex character with a way with words.
The Bucket List: “The Wheels On The Bus…”
Teaming Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson up to play the lead roles in the buddy-comedy The Bucket List was a stroke of genius. Seeing the two veterans of classic cinema take on a bittersweet comedy role that puts their age at the center is both heart-warming and really quite sad.
Nicholson’s character puts the inevitability of death into simple, yet hauntingly poetic words: “we live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round”. It implies that whether we die or we live, the universe will carry on as usual. Powerful.
Five Easy Pieces: “Interested In Hearing Anything About Me…”
Often considered one of Nicholson’s best roles ever, Five Easy Pieces is also a great piece of cinema full of incredible, enduring quotes. It follows the story of Bobby Dupea and his life as an oil rig worker which he uses to cover his privileged upbringing as a piano prodigy.
His resonant chat with his dying father gives some of the best lines of the entire film: ‘I don’t know if you’d be particularly interested in hearing anything about me. My life, I mean… Most of it doesn’t add up to much… that I could relate as a way of life that you’d approve of’.
About Schmidt: “Relatively Soon, I Will Die…”
About Schmidt is another of Nicholson’s brilliant later-years roles. In this film, he plays the titular Schmidt, who is retiring from his job and exploring his life after the death of his wife.
While its primarily a comedy with plenty of great humor from Nicholson, the most poignant line of the film is a heart-breaking muse on death: ‘Relatively soon, I will die. Maybe in 20 years, maybe tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. Once I am dead and everyone who knew me dies too, it will be as though I never existed. What difference has my life made to anyone?’.
As Good As It Gets: “You Make Me Want To Be A Better Man”
With Nicholson landing an Academy Award for his leading role in As Good As It Gets, you can be pretty sure his performance is up there with the best of all time. His character, Melvin Udall, is an OCD-suffering novelist who hates humans.
We see him change for the better of the course of the film, and that is what gives its best quotation such powerful meaning, as it demonstrates how his outlook on life has shifted so beautifully: ‘you make me want to be a better man’.
Batman: “Boo!”
In the 1989 entry into the Batman franchise, Nicholson plays a demented, incredibly memorable version of the Joker. There are almost too many brilliant lines that could make their way into this list, from his emotionally fragile moments to his most twisted scenes.
However, thanks to Nicholson’s gruesome, wide smile and messy makeup, it’s the simplest line of the film that ends up having the biggest impact. With a simple “boo!”. He captures the creepy atmosphere and personality of the character in under a second.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: “I Must Be Crazy To Be In A Loony Bin Like This”
Another one from the inimitable mind of Randall McMurphy sees another self-aware dig at his own mental state taking on multiple layers of meaning.
While One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestends with McMurphy finally succumbing to the environment he put himself in, we never really find out about the true extent of his own afflictions. The line “I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this” both references his own potential insanity, while also foreshadowing his tragic fate.
The Shining: “Here’s Johnny!”
Of course, one of the most iconic quotes in the history of the entertainment industry tops our list. While this has to be Nicholson’s greatest quote, it also comes with one of the most beloved visual images of all time; when he puts his head through the terrifying axe shaped hole in the bathroom door.
Not only was it perfectly delivered, this particular quotation just gets better when you find out Nicholson improvised it in the moment, attempting to channel as much creepiness into the character as he possibly could. It worked. Very, very well.
