A friendship that began on a landmark film
Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson have known each other since the middle of the 1970s, when Douglas produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Nicholson took the leading part. That performance earned Nicholson an Academy Award, and the collaboration became one of the defining credits for both men. Their bond has lasted through the decades that followed, which gives Douglas unusual standing to describe how his friend is living now.[S1]
Douglas spoke about Nicholson while appearing in Swansea, Wales, where he was presenting his memoir, One Helluva Ride. The setting was a public conversation about his own career, but the questions turned to the friend he has known for roughly half a century. Outlets across entertainment media picked up his remarks, treating them as a rare first-hand account of an actor who has become almost invisible to the public.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
No longer working, but in good health
According to Douglas, Nicholson is not taking on acting work and is doing well. He described his friend as having withdrawn from view, and said he knows this to be the case. Douglas also expressed regret that the two never shared a scene as performers, noting that he would have enjoyed acting opposite Nicholson at some point in their long association.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
The last film Nicholson appeared in was How Do You Know, released in 2010. Since then he has largely stayed out of the industry, and Douglas said the two men still see one another. He described Nicholson spending time around his house and walking about in his slippers, and said his friend has earned the right to live that way. Douglas added that Nicholson is a few years his senior, and that he understands the decision.[S1]
A public life reduced to rare appearances
Nicholson has sharply reduced his public appearances in recent years, and when he does turn up it is usually at a Los Angeles Lakers game. One exception came in 2025, when he appeared on screen without advance notice to introduce Adam Sandler during the fiftieth-anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live. He had done something similar at the show's fortieth-anniversary broadcast in 2015.[S1]
