Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito's best One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest stories as it hits 50
The Milos Forman film, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, had become a bit of a sensation – it was the second-highest-grossing picture of 1975, behind Jaws, and had received nine Oscar nominations.
But Nicholson was not feeling optimistic. In five years, he had already been nominated five times. He had also lost five times. He told his producer, Michael Douglas – who would go on to win his own best actor Oscar in 1988 – that he could not go through it again.
'I remember how hard I had to persuade Jack to come to the ceremony,' Douglas says. 'He was so reluctant, but we got him there.
'And then of course we lost the first four awards. Jack was sitting right in front of me and sort of leaned back and said 'Oh, Mikey D, Mikey D, I told you, man.' I just said, 'Hang in there.''
Jack Nicholson (seated, left) and Danny DeVito (seated, right) with supporting cast in a scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Photo: AP
Douglas, of course, was right. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest would go on to sweep the 'big five' – best screenplay, director, actor, actress and picture – the first film to do so since It Happened One Night 41 years previously. Only The Silence of the Lambs has done it since.
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