Once known for his frequent appearances courtside at Laker’s games, Nicholson is now rarely seen out and about, with the recent exception of his cameo during the live broadcast of SNL50: The Anniversary Special in February.
DeVito, 80, has been close friends with Nicholson since the pair first worked together on One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest 50 years ago.
‘I just saw Jack a couple weeks ago — it was his birthday a month ago, and he’s great,’ DeVito told People Magazine in a recent interview.
Nicholson and the Always Sunny in Philadelphia star bonded on the set of the iconic film, with DeVito going on to star in the Nicholson-directed 1978 comedy Goin’ South three years later.
They also both appeared in James L. Brooks’ seriocomic, 1983 Best Picture winner Terms of Endearment, the 1992 biopic Hoffa directed by DeVito, and the 1996 Tim Burton comedy Mars Attacks!.
Nicholson used to often be seen courtside at LA Lakers games (Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The pair first worked together in One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest in 1975 (Picture: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
They’ve been friends ever since (Picture: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images)
‘We were in the presence of this guy who’s really at his moment,’ DeVito says, reflecting on meeting Nicholson during production of the now-classic 1975 drama.
By then, Nicholson had already built a formidable résumé with Easy Rider, Carnal Knowledge, The Last Detail, and Chinatown. Cuckoo’s Nest would cement his status, earning him his first Academy Award for Best Actor and launching a career that would tally 12 nominations and three wins.
Despite that, DeVito says Nicholson remained deeply grounded.
‘He started out exactly the way everybody else did, where he couldn’t get a job,’ DeVito recalls.
‘It was like he came to Hollywood and he was going to just write and direct, and then Easy Rider comes along after the Corman stuff… So he was in our milieu, and he was always just as open and genuine, and we all felt it immediately.’
Nicholson was last seen on Saturday Night Live’s 50th birthday special, with the show pulling stars that included Steve Martin and Sir Paul McCartney as well as Nicholson.
The 87-year-old has rarely been seen in public in the 15 years since his last film, How Do You Know, released in 2010.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Related Posts:
Giants Predicted to Cut Ties With Hometown QB Tommy DeVito Sports The New York Giants have a jam-packed quarterback room going into the 2025-26 season, which is a positive thing when it comes to signal-caller depth. But, sometimes there’s too much of a good thing, and there’s also a question as to whether the Giants will really need all of that…
Donnie Wahlberg Teases Danny Reagan’s Return in ‘Boston Blue’: ‘A New Chapter’ Entertainment <p id="par-1_6"><a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/donnie-wahlberg-teary-filming-final-blue-bloods-family-dinner.html/">Donnie Wahlberg</a> has his badge back. </p> <p id="par-2_22">On Tuesday, the actor revealed that he was at work on the first season of the <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/blue-bloods/?swcfpc=1"><em>Blue Bloods</em></a><em> </em>spinoff series <em>Boston Blue. </em></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-donnie-wahlberg-gets-to-work-on-boston-blue">Donnie Wahlberg gets to work on ‘Boston Blue’ </h2> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full" id="emb-1"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Donnie-Wahlberg-Boston-Blue.webp?strip=all&quality=80" alt="Donnie Wahlberg…
Donnie Wahlberg Teases Danny Reagan’s Return in ‘Boston Blue’: ‘A New Chapter’ Entertainment <p id="par-1_6"><a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/donnie-wahlberg-teary-filming-final-blue-bloods-family-dinner.html/">Donnie Wahlberg</a> has his badge back. </p> <p id="par-2_22">On Tuesday, the actor revealed that he was at work on the first season of the <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/blue-bloods/?swcfpc=1"><em>Blue Bloods</em></a><em> </em>spinoff series <em>Boston Blue. </em></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-donnie-wahlberg-gets-to-work-on-boston-blue">Donnie Wahlberg gets to work on ‘Boston Blue’ </h2> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full" id="emb-1"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Donnie-Wahlberg-Boston-Blue.webp?strip=all&quality=80" alt="Donnie Wahlberg…
‘9-1-1’ Star Jennifer Love Hewitt Gives First Real Season 9 Update Entertainment Weâre officially one step closer to more rescues, more chaos, and more family drama. After “9-1-1″ dropped a gut-punch of a Season 8 finale; RIP Bobby Nash (yeah, weâre still not over it either). Luckily, Deadline confirmed the showâs renewal on ABC back in April. Since then, fans have been…
Trump administration sues California over egg prices, farm animal welfare laws News Accusing California of imposing “unnecessary red tape” on the production of eggs, the Trump administration is suing the state over animal cruelty laws it claims have driven up prices nationwide. “California has effectively prevented farmers across the country from using a number of agricultural production methods which were in widespread…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
