Jack Nicholson is my hero: Jack Black

Jack Black considers Jack Nicholson as his hero and has even paid a tribute to the veteran actor's "The Shining" role in his horror-comedy "Goosebumps", an adaptation of writer R L Stine's books.
Black portrays Stine in the movie, who is reclusive and a prisoner of his own imagination because the monsters that he wrote have the power to leap out of the pages and become real.
When asked whether his look was inspired by Nicholson, Black, who counts "The Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby" among his favourite horror films of all time, said he felt a kinship with the actor and joked that he always copied him.

"I was not thinking about Jack Nicholson when I was acting but let's face it, I always copy Jack Nicholson, since the beginning of the whole thing. He is my hero. I love his performance in 'The Shining' and in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.
"That is one-two punch in the history of cinema. No one got it better than Jack Nicholson. Maybe (Robert) De Niro with 'Raging Bull' and 'Taxi Driver' but with Nicholson, I feel a kinship for some reason," Black said while promoting the film in Cancun, Mexico.
Black may be one of the funniest men in Hollywood but he would love to take on serious roles too.

"I do like to mix things up. It is good for the acting muscle and good for the career. But it is difficult to find quality things that resonate with me. It is not easy to find people who have a vision like that, writers who have an original voice. I wish I could write."

The 46-year-old star, best known for his films "King Kong", "Tropic Thunder", "The Holiday", "Bernie" and "Kung Fu Panda", said his children don't find him that funny.
"I am not thinking about being funny when I am wandering the streets of life. It seems to be natural but if you ask my boys they would say no. I try to make them laugh and sometimes I do but most of the times, they are fed up with me. They punch me and say, 'Shut up, Daddy! It is not funny, You are not funny'."

The actor believes comedy emerges out of tragedy and it is possible to see the funny side of things.
"You can choose to see the funny side of things, it is just the other side of the coin. In some cases, it is a simple mind adjustment and you can find some light in the dark."
Black is full of praise for the young cast of "Goosebumps" -- Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush and Ryan Lee.
"I did not have to do any coaching, they were so good. Their love story and the friendship makes the movie, I can't take any credit for it."

"Goosebumps", directed by Rob Letterman, is being released in India by Sony Pictures on October 30, a day before Halloween, in English, Hindi and Tamil.