The 1992 film “A Few Good Men” had a star-studded cast, but decades later, one of the stars, Kevin Pollak, is revealing a behind-the-scenes exchange that happened between Hollywood veterans Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.
How Tom Cruise & Jack Nicholson Had a Playful Exchange Behind-the-Scenes
“A Few Good Men” was a huge success! Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, the film stars Cruise as military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Demi Moore as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, and Nicholson as Col. Nathan Jessup. Pollak appeared as Lt. Sam Weinberg, and the star-studded cast also included Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, James Marshall, and J.T. Walsh.
In an appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast with Steve Kmetko on October 19, Pollak recalled how Nicholson deliberately annoyed Cruise while filming an intense scene. “I remember there’s one moment while shooting ‘A Few Good Men,’ the climactic scene of Tom and Jack going toe-to-toe,” Pollak said. “Kaffee against the colonel. When Tom’s character, Kaffee, comes in for the kill. ‘I want the truth.’ Well, while he’s coming in and the camera is next to Jack’s face, shooting Jack’s POV of Tom, and Jack has to put his face as close as he can to lens. And Tom’s coming in, camera shooting, and this is what Tom’s looking at during the scene. Jack is doing this, making the most ridiculous clown face you’ve ever seen.”
Pollak continued, “And Tom stayed in the pocket and finished the scene and then punched Jack Nicholson in the shoulder.” The good news is that rather than break out into a full-on fight on set, the actors found humor in the moment. Pollak said, “They both laughed. So, that was Jack and my experience.”
How Tom Cruise Treated Kevin Pollak Like an Equal
In his interview, Pollak also discussed his part in the film, saying, “I could tell by the way it was written that whoever played this part was going to have a good moment in time. So I was trying not to be intimidated by these big stars. And I was treated like an equal by Tom Cruise the moment I showed up to rehearsal with this guy. I mean, minute one, which was infectious, that energy.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Pollak also praised Nicholson. “There’s no one cooler than Jack Nicholson. He wins that contest and then the surprise everywhere he goes,” he said. He revealed that he was surprised to learn that Nicholson was a “goofball” and that he had “expected someone that cool to sort of be aloof and cool,” but the veteran actor was incredibly “silly and goofy.”
Fans loved the interview and shared their comments on the YouTube video. “Pollak is such a great storyteller. I could listen to him all day,” a fan shared. “The BEST interview host on the Planet! Thank you, Steve,” another person shared.
Other reactions include, “Wow, excellent interview. Very funny,” and “A wonderful interview. Best podcast on the web.”
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Actor Says Tom Cruise Punched Jack Nicholson on ‘A Few Good Men’ but the Incident Ended With Laughter