Resurfaced Footage Shows Jack Nicholson Gearing Up For Iconic 'Here's Johnny' Scene

Old footage has re-emerged showing Jack Nicholson gearing up for his iconic 'Here's Johnny' scene from The Shining.

Who doesn't love Jack Nicholson? Whether you're a Batman fan, love a light hearted rom-com, or modern horror's more your speed, the actor's done a film for everyone.

One of his most iconic, though, is his role as Jack (Johnny) Torrance in The Shining.

It's the film in which Nicholson improvised one of the most famous lines in cinema history: 'Here's Johnny!'

The resurfaced footage of the actor preparing for the iconic scene has resurfaced just in time for Nicholson's 85th birthday today, 22 April.

In the clip, Nicholson can be seen getting into the mindset of Johnny, as the character starts to lose his sanity.

Nicholson is seen jumping repeatedly, with an axe, as he shouts 'axe murderer', which must've been a sight for the crew and co-star Shelley Duvall.

Alamy

Seconds later, the iconic actor would go on to break down the bathroom door and improvise the famous 'Here's Johnny'.

The line was a reference to the introduction of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

The result was one of the most scream-worthy scenes we've ever seen, with Duvall giving a rare interview recently to comment on the filming process.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Duvall broke down in tears after watching another clip from the movie for the first time in years.

The scene sees Nicholson follow Duvall up a staircase as she waves a bat to defend herself.

"I’m not gonna hurt you – I’m gonna bash you brains in," his character says.

Alamy

When asked why she was crying, Duvall said: "Because we filmed that for about three weeks. Every day. It was very hard. Jack was so good – so damn scary. I can only imagine how many women go through this kind of thing."

The film's director, Stanley Kubrick, would get the actors to film that particular scene 127 times.

"It was a difficult scene, but it turned out to be one of the best in the film," Duvall said.

Speaking further on Kubrick, the actor said: "He’s got that streak in him. He definitely has that. But I think mostly because people have been that way to him at some time in the past."

Duvall has maintained, however, that she wasn't mistreated on set and that the director was also 'very warm and friendly to me'.

 If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Topics: News, Celebrity, Film and TV, Viral, Social Media

Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.