James L. Brooks is reflecting on a memorable evening at the 1984 Academy Awards, where his film “Terms of Endearment” achieved remarkable success, securing five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director for Brooks himself, Best Actress for Shirley MacLaine, Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Brooks shared the overwhelming emotions he experienced that night, stating, “The night that we won everything, my mind was blown. I’d won the writing Oscar, and then the director’s thing happened, and I’m just sort of in a stupor. My head is down. I’m dazed … and Jack says, ‘Go for the triple.’”
Winning his first Oscar brought Brooks tremendous emotion, especially as the subsequent wins felt “surreal.” Throughout their collaboration, Brooks found the charm and talent of Nicholson to be unparalleled, likening him to “a veteran soldier” and emphasizing that there is “nobody like him.” He praises Nicholson as one of the greatest living actors with extraordinary charisma, a sentiment echoed by many in the film industry.
After a 15-year hiatus from writing or directing, Brooks is returning to cinema with his new movie “Ella McCay,” which recently premiered in theaters. He expressed that his absence from film was not by choice, stating, “I never didn’t want to come back. It wasn’t like that.” During his time away, Brooks married his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Simchowitz, in 2024 and delved into producing projects like “The Edge of Seventeen” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
As Brooks makes his comeback behind the camera, the future looks promising for the Oscar-winning filmmaker, who continues to have a profound impact on the industry with his unique storytelling and unforgettable collaborations.