Jack Nicholson Had 'a Great Time' with His Small Role in “Broadcast News”, Says James L. Brooks (Exclusive)
- - Jack Nicholson Had 'a Great Time' with His Small Role in “Broadcast News”, Says James L. Brooks (Exclusive)
Tommy McArdleDecember 31, 2025 at 8:51 PM
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Twentieth Century Fox; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Jack Nicholson in Broadcast News; James L. Brooks on Nov. 16, 2025 -
James L. Brooks is recalling Jack Nicholson's key role in his 1987 movie Broadcast News
Nicholson played a small part in Broadcast News, while Holly Hunter, William Hurt and Albert Brooks took on leading roles in the movie
"One of the greatest actors alive, with extraordinary charisma. It's nuts when that's a combo," Brooks says of Nicholson
James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson have collaborated a lot over the years, but with Brooks' 1987 classic Broadcast News, the Oscar-winning actor took on a smaller role than usual.
The legendary filmmaker, 88, recently reflected on making Broadcast News while discussing his new movie Ella McCay with PEOPLE. The newsroom-set dramedy starred Holly Hunter as a Washington, D.C.-based news producer who finds herself falling for a newly-hired anchorman (William Hurt) and subsequently torn between the potential new romance and her friendship with another reporter at the network (Albert Brooks).
Although Nicholson, 88, won an Academy Award for his performance in Brooks' 1983 movie Terms of Endearment, the actor played a significantly smaller role in Broadcast News as the network's lead anchor Bill Rorish.
"He got it. He had a great time with it," Brooks tells PEOPLE, when asked about Nicholson's approach to such a small part. "And we got him to the Lakers games on time."
Twentieth Century Fox
Jack Nicholson in 1987's Broadcast News
Nicholson's Bill is seen on television screens conducting news broadcasts before finally appearing in-person at the network for one memorable scene near the end of the film.
"I think without that moment, the movie isn't the movie," Brooks tells PEOPLE of Nicholson's big scene.
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Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jack Nicholson and James L. Brooks at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 18, 1998
Decades after Brooks and Nicholson began working together, the writer-director remains incredibly proud of his collaborations with the actor. Nicholson won his third Oscar for Brooks' 1997 movie As Good as It Gets. His last appearance on the big screen came in 2010's How Do You Know, which Brooks also wrote and directed.
"He's the guy. [There is] nobody like him. Nobody like him," Brooks tells PEOPLE of his friend. "I think maybe in a way, you could go possibly through everybody who ever did it, maybe say [Humphrey] Bogart, in a way. Just some great acting. And the extraordinary charisma, same thing. One of the greatest actors alive, with extraordinary charisma. It's nuts when that's a combo."
Ella McCay is in theaters now.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
