Sir Mick Jagger given saucy acting advice from Jack Nicholson

30 March 2022

Sir Mick Jagger was advised by Jack Nicholson to start with a character's "sex life" when building a role.

Sir Mick Jagger was advised by Jack Nicholson

The Rolling Stones frontman has acted in a number of movies over the years and he once sought advice from the movie legend, with the renowned womaniser offering a funny tip.

Reflecting on his most recent role as a millionaire art collector in 2020's 'The Burnt Orange Heresy', Mick said: "Well it was a bit odd to be honest.

“I hadn’t done any for ages. I was like, ‘Oh. Um. Yes. Acting. Let’s think now. How do we do this?’

"I once asked Jack Nicholson, ‘When you build a character, where do you start?’ He said, ‘His sex life.’”

But Mick admitted he does find it helpful to create a back story for his characters.

He told The Guardian newspaper: “It may not necessarily fit with the script but it’s good to have. Otherwise you’re just saying the lines. And you don’t wanna just say the lines. Well, you can, but it’s better if you know what sort of person he is.

"I made notes about whether the guy was married, what his schooling was like. Was he a crook? Did he like rugby? The usual stuff. It’s all quite funny but if you’re going to do a job, you might as well do it properly.”

The 'Wild Horses' singer thinks it is much easier for musicians to land acting roles now than in the 1970s, where it was viewed as "stunt casting" to bring a singer into a film.

He said: "The thing is that in those days, you didn’t get many offers. It’s much easier today for people in music to get film parts. There used to be a lot of prejudice against people in the music business – it was like they could only do that one thing, and it was just stunt casting really that you were offered.”

And Mick insisted that being able to front a band doesn't automatically make someone a good actor.

He said: “There are similarities and crossovers. You do have to project and become someone else but they are completely different disciplines. What little acting I’ve done, I’ve always enjoyed. But just because you’re on stage entertaining 50,000 people, it doesn’t follow necessarily that you’re going to be a very good actor.”