MICHAEL DOUGLAS SAYS JACK NICHOLSON HAS STOPPED ACTING

Michael Douglas said Jack Nicholson was well but no longer acting when he discussed their friendship at an event in Swansea. Douglas made the comments during a discussion of his memoir, One Helluva Ride. “I would have liked to have acted with Jack,” he said. “He’s not working any more. He’s well.” Douglas said he still sees Nicholson, who last acted in the 2010 film How Do You Know.

Douglas co-produced the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, in which Nicholson starred. The two actors never appeared on screen together. In 2013, Nicholson said he was less inclined to “be out there any more” and wanted to make films about emotions and people. He was due to appear in the 2017 film Toni Erdmann but withdrew before filming began. Nicholson appeared on screen during NBC’s SNL50 special in 2025.

Nicholson has never publicly announced his retirement. In April, his daughter Lorraine shared a photograph of him spending time with family and friends, including singer Joni Mitchell. Lorraine said in a 2011 interview that Nicholson was her mentor as she pursued acting. Douglas last acted in the 2023 film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and considers himself largely retired from acting. He lives with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.