Hollywood star Jack Nicholson was a happy man at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday – happy to escape the part for which critics have tipped him to scoop the Best Actor award. At a showing for his latest film About Schmidt, Jack said the role was the most miserable of his life, but judging from their enthusiastic reaction the audience loved it all the same.
The 65-year-old actor told journalists that he had not enjoyed playing Warren Schmidt in the movie. “He’s a miserable man to inhabit,” he said. “Worse than any drama I’ve done... I couldn’t look in the mirror the whole three months I was doing this picture. I thought I would never return to myself.”
In About Schmidt, Jack plays a retired clerk who falls apart when his wife dies. His character had secretly hated her, and after her death he sets out on a journey across America’s midwest in order to understand his life. The actor gained weight for the role and adopted an uncharateristic comb-over hairstyle to play a man who is older than himself.
Although many of its themes are tragic, the film had the audience howling with laughter, especially the scene in which co-star Kathy Bates attempts to seduce Jack in a hot tub. He praised the actress for her courage in stripping off for the scene.
“Kathy did the nude scene and never batted an eyelid,” he said. “It’s not a flattering thing for her. But there was not a flicker of reservation. I really admired her when she did that. If it was me, I would be dying. I’m so vain.”
The actor made his name at the Cannes Festival in 1969 with the film Easy Rider. Since then he has been a regular feature and is one of the few celebs prepared to walk unaccompanied along La Croisette, Cannes’ palm-lined “golden mile”, signing autographs for fans.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
