The one actor Callum Turner called the god of cinema: “He can do anything”

Posted On January 4, 2026January 4, 2026

Callum Turner is such a classically charismatic, good-looking British heartthrob that he’s been frequently floated for the role of James Bond. Even if he’s drawn comparisons to Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, Turner has expressed admiration for American stars as well.

Turner is coming off something of a whirlwind of success in 2025, thanks to his performances in Eternity, Atropia, and The Rose of Nevada, all of which have been hailed as being among the year’s best. While it would have been easy to have dismissed Turner as just another generic “pretty boy” a few years ago, he’s made the case for himself as a terrific actor.

It’s not hard to understand why Turner takes acting so seriously when considering the stars he’s looked up to as sources of inspiration.Although Turner told Marie Claire that he grew up obsessed with Al Pacino and Gary Oldman, there was one legendary Oscar-winner whose work he cherished more than anyone else’s.

“Jack Nicholson is the god of cinema,” Turner said. “He did Five Easy Pieces playing this alpha male character, then in The King Of Marvin Gardens he plays the complete opposite. He can do anything!”

Turner’s admiration for Nicholson runs deeper than most. While plenty of actors would happily namecheck The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or As Good As It Gets as his defining roles, Turner went in a different direction, spotlighting a couple of lesser-known films that played a big part in shaping Nicholson’s path.

Although Nicholson had broken through with his supporting role in Easy Rider a year prior, Five Easy Pieces was proof that he could be a leading man. Bob Rafelson’s grounded road drama examined the lost dreams of a blue-collar worker who considered the different routes his life could have taken, and gave Nicholson the opportunity to develop great chemistry with his co-star, Karen Black.

While the film was nominated for many Oscars, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Actor’ for Nicholson, it isn’t always given the credit that it deserves when discussing the most important films of the 1970s. When looking at subsequent films that developed a similarly authentic, grounded approach to small-town life, it’s hard to imagine directors like Hal Ashby, Peter Bogdonavich, Richard Linklater, and Jim Jarmusch receiving the same opportunities if not for the precedent that Five Easy Pieces set.

The King of Marvin Gardens was another collaboration between Nicholson and Rafelson, and told a similarly grim story about a ne’er do well late-night radio show host in Atlantic City. Nicholson’s brother was played by Bruce Dern in one of his breakout roles, and the film’s realistic production values (as it was actually shot in New Jersey) made it approach the type of realism that was typically only seen in documentaries.

Rafelson might’ve been recognised back in the day, but he’s not usually mentioned in the same breath as the big New Hollywood names like Scorsese, Cimino, Friedkin or Forman. Still, Turner giving a nod to his early work could shine a bit more light on some of his overlooked films – especially the ones he did with Nicholson, like Head or that Postman Always Rings Twice remake. As for Turner, with film knowledge like his, he’s clearly in it for the long haul, whether or not he ends up slipping into the tux as the next Bond.

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