Jack Nicholson’s status in Hollywood can be defined in very simple terms: his 12 Academy Award nominations makes him one of the most successful — and enduring actors — in Hollywood. In fact, only the peerless Meryl Streep has earned more Oscar nods than his 12, with 21 to her name in total. The star of The Shining is tied on 12 with Katharine Hepburn.
Nicholson has played countless iconic roles in the course of his career. Among those that earned him Oscars recognition include in movies like Chinatown, Terms of Endearment and Prizzi’s Honor. No one knows how many more of these prestigious accolades he would have been nominated for — or even won — had he not seemingly quit acting after his performance in the 2010 rom-com How Do You Know.
12 Oscar nominations is no mean feat, but Nicholson has only managed to win two of those. The more recent one was for “Best Actor,” following his role in the 1997 romantic comedy-drama film As Good As It Gets. He played a character called Melvin Udall in the picture, who is described as “a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist.”
Nicholson’s first Oscar came in 1976, however, for his work in Miloš Forman’s psychological drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As well as this honor, the role also added significantly to the actor’s net worth at the time. But how much did his cast-mates take home from the project?
Jack Nicholson’s Role In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Could Have Gone To Gene Hackman
Despite the success that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest brought Jack Nicholson, it’s interesting to note that the role could have easily gone to someone else entirely. In fact, original author Ken Kesey was reportedly extremely frustrated with the creative choices made during the adaptation of his book for the big screen, and even had someone else in mind to play the lead character.
In Kesey’s novel, the story’s protagonist is actually a red-haired, blue-eyed Native American man named Chief Bromden. However, for the movie adaptation, the decision was made to shift the focus of the story to the character of Randle McMurphy, who is played by Nicholson. Kesey was reportedly disappointed with this decision and even suggested that Gene Hackman should have been cast in the role instead of Nicholson.
In spite of Kesey’s reservations, Nicholson and co. delivered such great success with the film that it is now considered one of the best in history. A prequel series titled Ratched premiered on Netflix in September 2020, with Sarah Paulson playing the main, titular role.
Jack Nicholson Earned A Percentage Of The Profits From One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
In addition to the awards he won, Jack Nicholson earned a significant amount of money from his role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As it turns out, the actor had the foresight to negotiate a percentage of the film’s profits, a move that paid off handsomely in the end.
Following its release in 1975, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $163 million at the box office. This was a huge sum for the time, and the film went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of the decade. The production budget for the film was around $4.4 million, which means that it made back more than 24 times its original investment.
Thanks to Nicholson’s savvy deal, the actor ended up earning a significant portion of the film’s profits, which is estimated to have been in the range of $15-20 million. This made him one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood at the time and cemented his status as a savvy businessman in addition to his acting talents.
How Much Were Other Cast Members Paid For One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest?
Jack Nicholson’s percentage of the profits from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest earned him a staggering amount of money, but the same could not be said for his co-stars in the film. Louise Fletcher was one of those, featuring in the role of Nurse Mildred Ratched. In an interview with The Independent in 2016, she revealed just how massive the disparity was.
“Nicholson’s salary was enormous,” Fletcher said. “The rest of us were working for scale, or a little above that. I worked for 11 weeks, and made $10,000 before taxes.” While there was nothing legally — and arguably even morally — wrong with that, this amount of money is made to look like loose change when compared to the millions that went to Nicholson’s account.
Other actors in the film were paid considerably less. For example, William Redfield and Sydney Lassick, who played patients Harding and Cheswick respectively, are said to have earned around $3,000 for their roles. It is important to remember, however, that they were not as established in the industry as Nicholson, and may not have had the same negotiating power.
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