Fans from all over are wishing Jack Nicholson a Happy Birthday. The beloved actor turns 85 today and the Joker pictures are flooding in on social media. While Tim Burton’s Batman might be the biggest reference point for a lot of young viewers, Nicholson is one of the best actors of his generation and possibly of all-time. However, his version of Joker is still often touted as a favorite interpretation by legions of Batman fans. Before Joaquin Phoenix or even Heath Ledger, there was Jack putting on that purple suit and dazzling audiences back in the 80s. In fact, it could probably be argued that the character’s enduring popularity stems from Nicholson and Cesar Romero.
Batman himself, Michael Keaton talked to Seth Myers about how nervous he was to be working with Nicholson years ago. “The only thing that happened when I did the first Batman was, I was very nervous and self-conscious about being with Jack, because he’s so strong on film, you know, and it ended up just being great,” Keaton revealed. “We became pals and everything.”
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“He had so much power on screen, you know, has. It was just cool. He made everybody feel really, really relaxed,” Keaton continued. “Some day, in private, I’ll tell you how he would greet the crew in the morning, but I certainly can’t do it on national television.”
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