Jack Nicholson, 89, will never film another movie again: ‘He has disappeared’

| Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter Published October 29, 2026 1:11pm Updated October 29, 2026 1:14pm Actor Jack Nicholson has retired from acting and public life, his long-time friend Michael Douglas has suggested (Picture: Shutterstock) Hollywood star Jack Nicholson will not be returning to acting as he continues to live a reclusive lifestyle, according to his friend Michael Douglas. A three-time Oscar nominee, 89-year-old Nicholson is widely considered one of the best screen actors of the twentieth century with acclaimed performances in the likes of Chinatown, The Shining and Something’s Gotta Give to his name. But now Douglas, with whom Nicholson collaborated on 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has claimed the star has ‘disappeared’ from public life and isn’t interested in acting anymore. This comes after filmmaker James L. Brooks, who penned Nicholson’s last movie, 2010 rom-com How Do You Know, teased last year that he was ‘sure we’ll be seeing’ him act again. But Douglas has now seemingly shut this suggestion down. ‘I would have liked to have acted with Jack,’ Wall Street star Douglas, 82, said on Monday night at the Swansea Building Society Arena in South Wales. ‘He’s not working any more. He’s well. He has disappeared. I know that.’ Fatal Attraction star Douglas shared his regret over not acting with Nicholson, saying he was ‘not working anymore’ (Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for AFI) Nicholson, who last appeared in the 2010 film How Do You Know, made his name as one of the greatest screen actors in films like Chinatown (Picture: THA/Shutterstock) Douglas, who was promoting his memoir One Helluva Ride in his wife Catherine Zeta Jones’ hometown, added: ‘I still see him, but he is fine. He is up there by his house and walking around in his slippers. He continued, according to the Daily Mail: ‘It happens. He deserves it. I understand. He is a few years older than me, but I understand.’ The Romancing the Stone and Fatal Attraction actor produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which Nicholson won his first Academy Award for after four previous nominations. The film also won best picture, best director for Miloš Forman, best actress for Louise Fletcher and best adapted screenplay from its nine nominations. Nicholson made his onscreen debut in 1958’s The Cry Baby Killer before breaking through in countercultural classic Easy Rider in 1969, with Five Easy Pieces, The Witches of Eastwick, A Few Good Men, Batman and The Departed among his other films. Douglas said the star (pictured here in 1998’#s Something’s Gotta Give), ‘is up there by his house and walking around in his slippers’ (Picture: Columbia/Everett/Shutterstock) While Nicholson has never officially retired, in 2013 he told Vanity Fair that he was less driven to ‘be out there anymore’. In 2017 he was due to star in the English-language remake of Oscar-nominated German comedy Toni Erdmann with Kristen Wiig, but he dropped out and the project never coming to fruition. The actor has very rarely been seen in recent years, and only occasionally glimpsed watching his beloved team the Los Angeles Lakers – he’s been a season ticketholder since 1970 – in action on the court. This includes in 2023 with his Novocaine actor son Ray, 34, one of this six kids, after going over two years without being pictured in public. The Shining star has seldom been seen in recent years, save for occasional appearances at basketball games (pictured with son Ray in May 2023) (Picture: London Entertainment/Shutterstock) He made an unexpected appearance in the audience for the special 50th anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live last year, which prompted speculation about a potential return to acting and had his long-time friend and colleague Brooks telling People magazine last December: ‘Oh, I don’t think he stopped. ‘I mean, he’s gotten scripts, he’s reading them, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing them.’ Nicholson also acted in Brooks’ dramedies Terms of Endearment and As Good as It Gets, as well as taking on a small role in Broadcast News. Metro has contacted a rep for Jack Nicholson for comment. Arrow MORE: Elon Musk eviscerated for his ‘garbage’ version of The Odyssey after much hype Arrow MORE: Looney Tunes star Eric Bauza, who voiced Bugs Bunny and more, dies suddenly aged 46 Arrow MORE: Everyone thinks Wildwood will win an Oscar – but you need to see it yourself Switched On Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.