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Nick Nolte stopped goofing around on film sets after being pulled up on it by late filmmaker Karel Reisz.
Screen legend Nick was working on Peter Yates' 1977 movie The Deep when Karel came to watch the shoot. After filming wrapped Nick got the chance to chat with the BAFTA-winning director, who was happy to share his feedback.
“(On the set) we were filming a stunt I wasn’t needed for, so I got into a little foam game, letting off fire extinguishers with the prop guys,” Nick recalled to British Esquire. “Karel wanted me for his next film, but I didn’t know him, and when we were introduced later, I realised I’d p**sed away the day in front of this phenomenal director. Karel said, ‘Do you mind if I give you a little critique? When you work, I don’t think it’s good to spend so much time entertaining the crew’. From that day, I used my energy on set for acting, not goofing off."
The two went on to work together on Who’ll Stop the Rain a year later, with the feature earning Karel a prestigious Palme d’Or nomination at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.
Over the course of his career, 77-year-old Nick has worked with some of Hollywood’s finest directors and stars, and has been nominated for three Oscars. He can next be seen in drama The Padre opposite Tim Roth, and admitted to Esquire that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“What would I retire from? Myself?” he mused. “If I had to work every day, it might be an issue. A three-month run isn’t a difficult thing. A three-month run of no work is kind of hard to do. You’ve got to fill your days.”