Watching Jack Nicholson filming a scene is the closest I have come to witnessing the great Charlie Parker improvising on the sax. Each take would offer a variation on the mood or punch line that would give directors and film editors a huge palette of emotional and comedic options from which to choose. One never knows what to expect from Jack Nicholson!

I adore this shot of Nicholson—in spite of the difficult lighting—as it is an example of the serendipity that one finds during the making of the film.

Sitting on a ladder off the coast in Galveston Bay during the making of “Terms Of Endearment,” dressed in his proper blazer and grey flannels, and being supported by two burly grips, he was indeed a sight to behold. I ran into the bay (wearing cashmere sweats) trying to get close enough to get a good shot. The director, Jim Brooks, looked at me and broke up laughing, as I must have looked like a stork trying to take off, but then he had to see why I was making such a fool of myself. He turned to look at Nicholson and luckily he saw what I had seen—an incredible photo opportunity! He waved the two grips aside (barely—they are just out of my picture frame). Jack, seeing what was happening, arranged himself as a good little boy waiting to go to church and I had about ten seconds to get the shot before the grips rushed back in.
Thank you Jack, for my little bit of jazz and thank you all for making it happen!

Yeah, Jack Nicholson really is cool.