“I would’ve killed her if that’s what he wanted”: Jack Nicholson Was Confronted By His “Surrogate Father” About Sleeping With His Daughter On Set
Age has caught up with Jack Nicholson, who hasn’t appeared in any movie since 2010, and is often only remembered by young fans for his memorable portrayal of mob boss Frank Costello in The Departed.
However, during the peak of his powers, Nicholson was among the most charming individuals on and off the camera. On-screen, he was every director’s dream and behind the scenes, he had a reputation of being irresistible to women. His two traits combined and led to an awkward interaction on set of Chinatown, wherein he was confronted by reputed actor and filmmaker John Huston.
How Jack Nicholson Reacted When John Huston Confronted Him During a Rehearsal
After earning three Oscar nominations in the early 70s, Jack Nicholson got the opportunity to play a part in Chinatown, which would turn out to be one of the best films of his career. He played the role of J.J. Gittes, a private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles.
The movie was a huge commercial and critical success, bagging 11 Academy Award nominations. Meanwhile, Nicholson got his fourth Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The filming of Chinatown was equally rewarding and memorable for Nicholson, as he got the chance to work with his idol John Huston, who was a ‘surrogate father’ to him. However, things got awkward during rehearsals on set because at the time the star was in a relationship with Houston’s daughter, Angelica Huston.
He told the surreal story to his A Few Good Men (1992) co-star Kevin Pollak. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Pollak shared:
“[Nicholson continued] He meant more to me than my own family. And while we’re rehearsing this scene, I see over his shoulder about 50 yards away, his daughter Angelica walking towards the set to visit. And I had just started banging her about three weeks before and so I realized I hadn’t told the old man yet. And I didn’t know how to break it to him. I didn’t want to upset him. I didn’t want him to be angry with me. I didn’t want to disappoint him. I would have killed her if that’s what he wanted. And I’m thinking all these things as we’re rehearsing the scene and I come out of those thoughts and get back into the rehearsal at the exact moment that his character says to mine, Mr. Gittes, are you sleeping with my daughter? Now that’s surreal.”
Hilariously, Nicholson immediately stopped at this point of his story and walked into his trailer, leaving Pollak standing in a parking lot alone and puzzled.
Jack Nicholson Worked With John Huston and His Daughter in the Same Movie
During the filming of Chinatown, Nicholson hadn’t revealed Huston about his romance with Anjelica. But by the 80s, they were one of Hollywood’s most famous couples.
In fact, the iconic director brilliantly utilized their chemistry on screen in his movie Prizzi’s Honor (1985), in which two highly skilled assassins try to kill each other but end up falling in love.
Nicholson added another Oscar nomination to his long tally and Anjelic accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the romantic drama.
