Renowned actor Jack Nicholson once spent three months living completely naked. Why did the star of some of the best movies ever made do this? Well, it turns out that despite his reputation as one of the greatest seducers in the history of Tinsel Town, old Jacky boy had a few body issues.
According to Rolling Stone journalist Erik Hedegaard, Nicholson decided he was tired of feeling ashamed of his body, so he chose to embrace it, curves and all. To that end, Nicholson spent three months wandering around his home naked, getting to know his inner naturalist, and getting comfortable in his own skin ahead of a big sex scene.
“In the late sixties, as a matter of self-help, he spent three months walking around in the nude, at all hours of the day, no matter who stopped by, his daughter included,” Hedegaard wrote. While we admire the confidence, we’re not sure Nicholson’s family would agree. That said, his unconventional approach to body positivity seemed to pay off, to an extent.
“I felt it was totally necessary,” Nicholson told Hedegaard. “I’m self-conscious about body image. I don’t have a great body shot. And it was an era of ‘Let’s get free.’ I know it drove my oldest daughter insane. I just wanted to be more relaxed within my skin. But it didn’t totally resolve all that, like many experiments you think you’ve concluded on yourself, but you haven’t really.”
Apparently, Nicholson enjoyed himself so much after his three-month stint was over he embraced nudity for a while. According to Five Easy Decades, a Nicholson biography, he attended interviews for the drama movie Drive, He Said completely nude. Bet the journalist didn’t know where to look!
If you like the work of Nicholson, check out our guide to the best horror movies, The Shining might be on there.