James L. Brooks Shares Jack Nicholson’s Heartfelt Advice from the Night Terms of Endearment Won Five Oscars

James L. Brooks (left), Jack Nicholson.
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James L. Brooks is reflecting on a pivotal moment in film history as he recounts Jack Nicholson’s words the night of the 1984 Academy Awards. Their acclaimed film, Terms of Endearment, swept the awards, garnering five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Shirley MacLaine, Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson, and Best Adapted Screenplay, awarded to Brooks.

"The night that we won everything, my mind was blown," Brooks said in a recent interview. “I had won the writing Oscar, and then the director’s award happened. I was in a stupor—my head was down, I was dazed… and Jack said, ‘Go for the triple.’”

Brooks described winning his first Oscar as "tremendously emotional," while subsequent wins felt "surreal." He directed Nicholson in multiple projects, including Broadcast News (1987), As Good as It Gets (1998), and How Do You Know (2010). Reflecting on Nicholson, Brooks remarked, “He’s it, he’s the guy… nobody like him.” He compared Nicholson’s unique charisma to that of legendary actors like Humphrey Bogart, emphasizing that Nicholson remains "one of the greatest actors alive."

After a 15-year hiatus from writing and directing, Brooks made his return with Ella McCay, which premiered on December 12. Despite the long break, he expressed that his absence from filmmaking was not out of disinterest. “I never didn’t want to come back. It wasn’t like that,” he noted.

Following his last film in 2010, Brooks married his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Simchowitz, in 2024 and has since been involved in producing notable films such as The Edge of Seventeen and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. "In there, I fell in love, got married, and I truly don’t have a conscious answer for it other than I had jobs that I loved," he added.

Los Angeles: Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson (R-Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment), Shirley Maclaine (C-Best Actress for Terms of Endearment) and James Brooks.

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