10 Actors Who Can't Help But Play Themselves

5. Jack Nicholson

Ah, crazy ol' Jack, where would this list be without your inclusion? Wherever Jack Nicholson is, whether it be on the screen or just in general, there's likely to be a sense of the maniacal, possibly fuelled by illegal substances, and a plethora of swooning women of all ages. The three-time Academy Award winner is often as crazed and unhinged in day-to-day life as his brilliantly-erratic performances in the likes of The Shining, The Witches of Eastwick, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, China Town, Batman, Anger Management or The Departed. Given that he managed to survived the haze that was the '60s and '70s, is there any real surprise that Nicholson comes across as such an unstoppable force of nature? I dunno, maybe it's just that gleaming smile and arched eyebrows that do it, but you can't help but see Jack Nicholson shining brightly through each and every character he plays. Exception To The Rule: About Schmidt saw Nicholson tone it all back. We saw less of Jack and more of the character of Warren Schmidt, as Nicholson delivered a stunningly-subtle performance that ranks up there as one of his best.
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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.