Jack Nicholson and Mary Steenburgen’s Unbreakable Bond: How ‘They Remain Close to This Day’

Jack Nicholson’s not close to many people, but one person he has so much respect for is Mary Steenburgen, and the feeling is mutual, a source exclusively tells Closer.

“He still talks of meeting her at a casting office many decades ago and being blown away by her talent,” the insider says of Jack, 87.

While the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest legend “never had a romance” with Mary, 71, “their friendship has blossomed over the years, and they remain close to this day,” the source reveals.

Jack and Mary starred together in the 1978 Western comedy Goin’ South, which marked her feature film debut. He played a convict whose life was spared thanks to Mary’s character giving him a job searching for gold on her land, as the pair fell in love.

The Shining star directed the film, and Mary credited Jack for helping give her such a big break, saying she owed him “every single thing” that happened to her in Hollywood.

“He had to fight for me because Paramount said, ‘Yeah, that’s the best screen test, but you’ve got to pick your second choice because she’s never done anything, she has a weird last name, you pick number two, all of whom are huge stars,'” Mary revealed on husband Ted Danson‘s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast on November 20.

“And he fought for me. He said, ‘Then we don’t do the movie.’ And the movie was shut down for a few days until they relented,” she continued. “He was my mentor and I owe every single thing to him.”

“Jack’s been pretty much a recluse since retiring from acting but allows a select few to check in on him. He and Mary still talk and reminisce about their old Hollywood years,” the insider dishes. “She thinks Jack is one of the most talented guys that Hollywood has ever seen. She can’t help gushing about Jack and what he did for her career.”

After earning 12 Oscar nominations with three Academy Award wins, Jack unofficially retired from acting in 2010, after appearing in his final film, the comedy How Do You Know.

One other person whom Jack remains close to is former girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle. The pair dated from 1999 through 2001.

“She and Jack do talk, and she harbors no ill feelings and cherishes the times they had, even though they were pretty wild,” a previous insider exclusively told Closer in July. “No one puts pressure on Jack, but everyone is of the same opinion: he doesn’t get out anymore and wallows at home.”

There is one thing that got Jack out of the house, and that was to watch his beloved Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Western Conference finals in May 2023. He watched the game courtside alongside his son, Ray, in his last public appearance.

Ray, 32, made a rare comment about his dad and the unique nature of their relationship in an October 14 interview.

“We’re very different people,” he told Deadline. “I was born in 1992, he was born in 1937. The things that affect me don’t necessarily affect him,” the Smile 2 star shared. “Obviously, I love him. He’s my inspiration. I ate dinner with him every night. I studied it, that’s how I learned to be a human being. So, of course we’re gonna be kind of similar.”