The advice Jack Nicholson gave Michael Keaton after playing Batman that he wasn’t going to steal today

We hear a lot about Hollywood as a ruthless place and people having a hard time getting by. But every now and then we hear stories of big stars who pass on their knowledge and take another actor under their wing. Denzel Washington is a major actor who spread his knowledge along the way, helping stars like the iconic Tom Hanks . Likewise, Michael Keaton apparently got some solid advice from Jack Nicholson when they worked together Batman in the 1980s, but today it wouldn’t fly.

Something very special happens when you put together a bunch of action icons to have a conversation and the Hollywood reporter they did just that when they put Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Cox, and three other famous actors in a room for their Emmy Drama Actors panel discussion. The stars discuss a number of things, but when the topic of fatherhood comes up and they take a break from acting to be a current dad, the conversation turns to advice Keaton has received from Jack Nicholson in the past and that doesn’t end. translate in the film industry these days.

Apparently Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton felt like Batman It was a risky film to make. Their Batman He was practically the first big one Batman film made, and no one really knew how it would turn out. Apparently Nicholson told Keaton that if he was a success, Keaton wouldn’t have to worry about his future as an actor if other projects failed. Considering he’d have this great movie under his tracksuit belt, the flops would pale in comparison. Here’s the story in Keaton’s words:

Of course, Batman it was a great success and almost everything Batman for the film to happen because it has its place (yes, too batman and robin, the movie everyone loves to hate) in DC superhero history. While Jack Nicolson’s advice was spot on when he gave it, he’s also an actor who played a number of iconic roles at the time (the splendor, Flight over a cuckoo’s nestI could go on for a while). The great of him far outweighs his not so bad.

Yet nowadays the public is very much involved in the career and success of an actor. If you look at beloved stars like Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, they’re often out there and haven’t really had a less-than-epic movie in years. They are also active with their fans and have presented themselves as someone that people love.

However, being a big hitter is a difficult reputation to maintain. If Dwayne Johnson or Ryan Reynolds, for example, release a less-than-extraordinary film that they’ve poured their heart into and put their approval on, audiences could potentially start turning against them. They would no longer be stars that don’t fail, but stars that decline. It’s difficult there, and it’s probably unfair. Maybe that’s why Reynolds takes a not-so-small break from acting After all.

Michael Keaton has had his fair share of extraordinary roles moreover, although his interpretation of Batman remains a fan favorite, and some of the great batman moments in history, they belong to him. Keaton reprized his role as Batman in the near future Glow movie and you can get it back in the bat costume in the next film to be released in 2022 bad girl also, as well. What a time to be an OG Batman fan.

While Jack Nicholson’s advice may not be as good these days as it was in the late 1980s, I don’t think Michael Keaton has much to worry about being broke on a flop. It’s almost like I’m entering a second prime number, and that interests me a lot.