Nicholson Makes 'The Pledge'

L O S   A N G E L E S, Jan. 10, 2001 -- The perennially laid-back Jack Nicholson appears even more subdued than usual. Barely a week into the new year, he's suffering from a wicked head cold and a sore throat.

"I think I picked it up from one of my kids," he explains inhis oft-imitated speaking style, after taking a sip of hot tea.

Nicholson has enough clout that he could have called in sick forthis interview. But for the veteran actor, the show must go on.

And so, with his trademark sunglasses folded neatly in front ofhim, he dutifully sits down in a small L.A. hotel meeting roomsurrounded by a half dozen reporters to promote a crime thrillercalled The Pledge. In it, he plays a dedicated police detectivenamed Jerry Black who takes one last case on the day he retiresfrom the force.

Unusual Plot Drew Nicholson's Attention

The Pledge is less a story about crime than a tale about theimpact a vicious homicide has upon the survivors. The title refersto a vow Black makes to the victim's distraught mother to find thekiller. The retired detective becomes obsessed with his promise,even if it means potentially putting those closest to him in harm'sway. The crime drama — whose cast includes Benicio Del Toro, AaronEckhart, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard and HarryDean Stanton — ends in a way that's atypical of Hollywood movies.

It was the story's unconventional plot that drew Nicholson tothe material in the first place. "With all the detective andpolice films that are out there, this one is different," Nicholsonsays. "Whenever anything is unique or looks like it's going to begood, it's worth doing."

The Pledge is the first film Nicholson has starred in sincehis 1997 Academy Award-winning turn as a neurotic romance novelistin As Good As it Gets. "I took a year or so off after thatbecause we had worked hard on [it]," explains the actor. "I liketo clean my system out. When I want to work, I find the mostcreative situation I can."

Creative Partnership With Director Sean Penn

What also made the project attractive to the superstar wasgetting a chance to work again with his close friend Sean Penn, whodirected and co-produced the film. The two had previouslycollaborated on 1995's The Crossing Guard, along with actressRobin Wright Penn, the director's Academy Award-nominated wife, whoalso stars in The Pledge.

"Sean and I like working together," Nicholson explains simply."We're old friends. He's not doing blue-screen movies. This is acharacter-driven movie. If you don't get the character, you don'ttell the story in the movie. Creatively speaking, those are thethings that attract me."

Nicholson, 63, may see a younger version of himself in Penn, 40.The two acclaimed actors have larger than life personas and, somesay, equally big egos. Their personal lives and romantic conquestshave provided fodder for the tabloids for years. Both have enjoyedreputations as Hollywood party animals before settling down fromtime to time to become family men.

(Nicholson is currently dating 30-year-old actress Lara FlynnBoyle and has two young children from a previous relationship aswell as two grown children. Penn has been with his second wife,Robin Wright Penn, for more than a decade — married since 1996 — and has two daughters.)

Professionally, both are unafraid to take roles theiragents and advisers might suggest steering clear of. And both havetackled directing, producing and writing. "Having worked with[Penn] before, I've watched how he has evolved as a director,"Nicholson says. "You kind of let yourself go when you know thataudience of one man, the director, has very fine taste. A lot oftimes, directors don't really know how to talk to actors exactly.When Sean gives a direction, it's very, very specific and precise.He's got great eyes. I don't worry about anything when I'm workingwith Sean. Nobody's going to rush us. Nobody's going to say youcan't do that. We're going to do it as well as we can."

Proud of His Body of Work

In The Pledge, Nicholson's character tries to explain to hisformer boss why he is so determined to continue investigating acase the police department has deemed closed. "I made apromise," Jerry says to a police chief. "You're old enough toremember when that meant something."

To Nicholson, that bit of dialogue also has meaning in his ownlife. "When I give my word, I think it means something," hesays.

Nicholson arrived in Hollywood from his native New Jersey in themid-1950s. His first job was as an office boy at MGM. "I saw everygreat movie actor who ever lived walk through those gates," herecalls. "That's really why I was there. I was movie-struck."

His acting career got off to a less than stellar start withRoger Corman's 1958 crime thriller Cry Baby Killer, in which heplayed the killer. For the next decade, he appeared in mostlyforgettable roles. It wasn't until he replaced Rip Torn in 1969'sEasy Rider that he got his breakthrough part and the first ofseveral Oscar nominations. He went on to appear in successful andhighly acclaimed films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, Terms of Endearment andA Few Good Men, among others. In 1995, he was honored with theAmerican Film Institute's lifetime achievement award.

Nicholson says he's proud of his body of work but doesn't liketo dwell on the past. Asked to name his favorite film, he saysslyly, "I don't really have a favorite, but that's primarilybecause I'm a little vain. I like all my movies."

As Good As It Can Get

To this day, he still loves movie-making and movie stars, but hehas noticed changes in Hollywood over the past 45 years.

"Frankly, the thing I most miss is the glamour," he says,resembling on this particular day a tenured university professor intweed jacket, green polo shirt and brown pants. "I love theglamour of Hollywood. I'm just so happy to have been here to seewhat that was like when (the acting community) sort of had theirown world — Hollywood. They ran it however they wanted to, and theyput on a good show everywhere, and it wasn't all about what it costor this or that. It was about more graceful things."

Even deal making these days is a big turn off to him. "Thenegotiating period of a movie is now very uncomfortable," he says."I've never been a top-dollar seeker as a negotiator. If I'minterested in a film, I figure all that will come out in the end.You can't make a simple deal anymore, and it takes an endlessamount of time. In that sense, there's a lot of vitiated time justin the deal-making process."

Despite his grumbling, Nicholson has made some of the mostlucrative deals in Hollywood. For Batman, for example, he tooka percentage of the box-office proceeds rather than a fee, whichgarnered him an estimated $60 million on the blockbuster.

Next on his plate is a film called About Schmidt, withwriter/director Alexander Payne (Election). It begins shootingthis spring. But now, back to the matter at hand.

As Nicholson gets up to leave, he puts his sunglasses back onand coyly makes one final push for The Pledge.

"Be good to the picture," he says, "or you won't get anymore."