The Jack Nicholson Line This Terms of Endearment Director Never Forgot From Oscars Night
Director James L. Brooks reveals the unforgettable line Jack Nicholson delivered as Terms of Endearment steamrolled the 1984 Oscars with five wins.
James L. Brooks just told a great little Oscars-night story about Jack Nicholson, and it says a lot about both of them. Quick context: we are talking about 1984, when Terms of Endearment steamrolled the Academy Awards.
The Oscars-night moment
Brooks told People that the night got overwhelming fast. He won for writing, then for directing, and he was basically shell-shocked. Head down, dazed, trying to process it all. That is when Nicholson leaned in with a line that perfectly fits Jack:
"Go for the triple."
Translation: you have two statues in your hands, now go get the third. And yes, that makes sense if you remember how the awards work: Brooks also produced Terms of Endearment, so Best Picture would have been his third personal win of the night.
Brooks, who is 85 now, said the first win hit him hard emotionally, and everything after that felt a little unreal. Fair.
Brooks on Nicholson, in full-on admiration mode
The Simpsons co-creator could not stop praising Nicholson. He called him the veteran in the foxhole you want by your side, then basically said there is nobody like him. He even did a quick mental run through the legends — maybe Bogart? — and still landed on the same answer: no comparison. In his view, Nicholson is one of the greatest actors alive, and the charisma is off the charts.
Quick refresher: why Terms of Endearment was such a big deal
Brooks adapted the film from Larry McMurtry's 1975 novel, focusing on the complicated bond between a widowed mother, Aurora, and her daughter, Emma. Things get messier once Emma marries a teacher named Flap Horton. The movie was a critical knockout, became the second-highest-grossing film of 1983, and then cleaned up at the Oscars:
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
And where Brooks is now
He also talked about returning to filmmaking with his latest, Ella McCay. In his words, he never stopped wanting to come back — it just was not that kind of absence.