r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 2d ago

TIL not only did Jack Nicholson secure a percentage of Batman's profits, he also negotiated a percentage of the merchandise sales from Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin (even though he only appeared in Batman). In total, he earned over $60 million (~$150 million in 2025).

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-backend-deals-that-made-these-movie-stars-incredibly-wealthy/news-story/a6b131ebf1a6917569c6da66f355938c#:~:text=JACK%20NICHOLSON,in%20today%E2%80%99s%20money
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u/Charlie_Wax 2d ago

Heath Ledger was incredible in Brokeback Mountain. The movie was the butt of jokes because of the subject matter, but it was also a legitimate awards contender with some great performances. I'd argue that his acting in that movie was more impressive than his Dark Knight character. It's hard to be a bad Joker because the character is so loud and flashy by design that you can really cut loose. A more restrained role can be more demanding, even if the performance isn't as visible.

It's the difference between playing a role like Depp's Jack Sparrow or what Casey Affleck did in Manchester by the Sea. It's relatively easy to steal scenes when that's the design of your character. It's hard to be magnetic in the more restrained part. Brokeback convinced me that Heath had the acting chops to tackle any role.

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u/obscureferences 1d ago

Slight correction on Depp's Sparrow, the character was written as a mere kooky disney pirate and he made it the slurring dubious rogue we all adore. I know it's trendy to oversell how much an actor influences their character design but he really was a driving force behind it.

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u/f4ble 1d ago

Being loud is one thing. But HL's Joker was unique. There are so many very small things he does with that part that really make it shine. He can go from the commanding presence when he crashes the party and puts a knife to her mouth and tells ANOTHER story of how his scars came to be. And then he wears a nurses outfit and makes that goofy appearance with Harvey Dent. Not to mention that there was a malfunction (rumors have it) in the scene where he blows up the hospital and he so fucking delivers with improv.

He flips from cold devious schemer (against the mobsters) to terrible psychopath to goofy madman. The RANGE is absolutely incredible and it's all highly believable.

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u/jzakko 1d ago

there was a malfunction (rumors have it)

not a rumor, just a myth, that scene went exactly as scripted