Jack Nicholson's Decades-Old Jealousy Toward 'Privileged Person' Robert Redford Revealed as 'The Shining' Star Turns 88
Jack Nicholson revealed why he held a grudge against Robert Redford for years.
April 22 2025, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Jack Nicholson has opened up about why he held a grudge against "privileged person" Robert Redford for decades, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The one-sided feud between Nicholson, who turned 88 years old on April 22, and Redford, 88, was sparked by a film role The Shining star had been eager to play but was never given the chance.
Nicholson revealed he wanted to star in the film adaptation of a classic novel, including 'The Great Gatsby.'
While Nicholson has three Academy Award wins and 12 nominations under his belt, the Somethings Gotta Give star was haunted by a passion project that never came to fruition.
Nicholson optioned the rights to Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King for years and despite his best efforts to lift the project out of the development black hole it found itself in, he never secured financial backing.
Still, Nicholson yearned to star in an adaptation of a classic novel – and then came the announcement that Francis Ford Coppola would be penning the screenplay for F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby in 1974.
Nicholson felt he would have brought more depth to Jay Gatsby than Robert Redford.
Initially, Marlon Brando was approached to play protagnonist Jay Gatsby, but his salary demands quickly ruled him out as an option.
Meanwhile, Redford launched a campaign to be cast as the leading man – and was ultimately selected for the part, leaving Nicholson seething with jealousy.
For decades the actor dreamed of being cast in a role like The Great Gatsby and felt he could bring more depth to the character than Redford could.
Nicholson said Redford looked like 'a privileged person.'
He told the New York Times in 1976: "I think I was righter than Bob Redford. He looks like a privileged person."
Nicholson continued: "He would not worry about chopping his way up. He would not worry about being well-groomed.
"I don't have as much of a problem as I did. Gatsby's been hung on me since I was 20."
This isn't the first time Redford and Nicholson were in contention for a career-defining role.
Al Pacino recently revealed studio executives initially wanted either The Sting star or the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest legend to play Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
In his book, Sonny Boy, Pacino wrote: "Paramount didn't want me to play Michael Corleone. They wanted Jack Nicholson. They wanted Robert Redford. They wanted Warren Beatty or Ryan O'Neal."
While Pacino was not offered a screen part for the role, he was asked to fly out to California to discuss the film, a flight he wasn't interested in taking.
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Nicholson and Redford were also considered for the role of Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather.'
Eventually, he obliged.
Pacino added: "I did not care that it was The Godfather. I was a bit afraid of flying and I didn't want to go to California. But my manager, Marty Bregman, said to me, 'You're getting on that f------ plane.' He brought me a pint of whiskey so I could drink it on the flight, and I got there."
Despite names like Nicholson and Redford – and even Brando – studio execs ultimately rejected all the heavy hitters they once considered for the part and Pacino found himself as the face of the legendary franchise.
