Movies - TV
Tim Burton’s Biggest Batman Struggle Was Understanding Jack Nicholson
By JOE ROBERTS
Although 1989's "Batman" helped define the modern superhero blockbuster, its production sounds like a nightmare for the then-30-year-old director Tim Burton.
Among the many issues Burton faced on set was learning to understand star Jack Nicholson. He explained to Empire, "Jack has a very abstract way of speaking."
Burton added, "He would say things to me and I'd go, 'Yeah, I get it,' and then I'd go to someone, 'What the f*** was he just talking about?'"
He continued, "There was this weird communication: non-linear, non-connective ... But it was very clear to me. I felt like we had a good sort of caveman-style communication."
While Burton faced tons of pressure, he explained that despite the initial communication problems, the director felt comforted by having Nicholson there.
Burton said, "[Nicholson] protected me and nurtured me, kept me going, by just not getting too overwhelmed with the whole thing. I felt really supported by him in a very deep way."