[Eric Cartman]

Jack Nicholson, the man who brought us so many great moments on screen and off, turns 80 years old today. Here are some words of wisdom he’s shared with us over the years.






“What’s beautiful is all that counts, pal. That’s all that counts."



(On regrets)

“Not that I can think of. I’m sure there are some, but my mind doesn’t go there. When you look at life retrospectively you rarely regret anything that you did, but you might regret things that you didn’t do.”



“I never had a policy about marriage. I got married very young in life and I always think in all relationships, I’ve always thought that it’s counterproductive to have a theory on that. It’s hard enough to get to know yourself and as most of you have probably found, once you get to know two people in tandem it’s even more difficult. If it’s going to be successful, it’s going to have to be very specific and real and immediate so the more ideas you have about it before you start, it seems to me the less likely you are to be successful.”


“You only lie to two people in your life: your girlfriend and the police. Everybody else you tell the truth to.”




(On his shades)

“They’re prescription. That’s why I wear them. A long time ago, the Middle American in me may have thought it was a bit affected maybe. But the light is very strong in southern California. And once you’ve experienced negative territory in public life, you begin to accept the notion of shields. I am a person who is trained to look other people in the eye. But I can’t look into the eyes of everyone who wants to look into mine; I can’t emotionally cope with that kind of volume. Sunglasses are part of my armor.”



“Beer. It’s the best damn drink in the world.”


“I’m Irish. I think about death all the time. Back in the days when I thought of myself as a serious academic writer, I used to think that the only real theme was a fear of death, and that all the other themes were just that same fear, translated into fear of closeness, fear of loneliness, fear of dissolving values. Then I heard old John Huston talking about death. Somebody was quizzing him about the subject, you know, and here he is with the open-heart surgery a few years ago, and the emphysema, but he’s bounced back fit as a fiddle, and he’s talking about theories of death, and the other fella says, ‘Well, great, John, that’s great … but how am I supposed to feel about it when you pass on?’ And John says, ‘Just treat it as your own.’ As for me, I like that line I wrote that, we used in The Border, where I said, ‘I just want to do something good before I die.’ Isn’t that what we all want?”




(On playing the Joker)

“This would be the character, whose core—while totally determinate of the part—was the least limiting of any I would ever encounter. This is a more literary way of approaching than I might have had as a kid reading the comics, but you have to get specific. … He’s not wired up the same way. This guy has survived nuclear waste immersion here. Even in my own life, people have said, ‘There’s nothing sacred to you in the area of humor, Jack. Sometimes, Jack, relax with the humor.’ This does not apply to the Joker, in fact, just the opposite. Things even the wildest comics might be afraid to find funny: burning somebody’s face into oblivion, destroying a masterpiece in a museum—a subject as an art person even made me a little scared. Not this character. And I love that.”



“I only take Viagra when I am with more than one woman.”



“My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.”