Tom Cruise Punched Jack Nicholson After Clown Face Incident on 'A Few Good Men' Set, Actor Claims

Hollywood veteran Kevin Pollak has shared an anecdote from the set of the 1992 legal drama "A Few Good Men," recounting an instance where Tom Cruise playfully punched Jack Nicholson after the latter made a comical face during a crucial courtroom scene.

Pollak, who also starred in the film, described the incident on the "Still Here Hollywood" podcast with Steve Kmetko. He explained that during the climactic scene where Cruise's character, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, confronts Nicholson's character, Col. Nathan Jessup, Nicholson made a "ridiculous clown face" while looking directly into the camera lens.

"Tom stayed in the pocket and finished the scene and then punched Jack Nicholson in the shoulder," Pollak said, mimicking the action. "And they both laughed." Pollak characterized the moment as a shared experience between himself and Nicholson.

"A Few Good Men," directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, centers on two Marines accused of murdering a fellow service member at Guantánamo Bay. The plot revolves around whether the Marines were acting under an unauthorized "code red" disciplinary order. Demi Moore co-starred as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, Cruise's colleague, and Nicholson portrayed the commanding officer.

The film was a critical and commercial success, earning four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Nicholson, and Best Film Editing. Other notable cast members included Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and J.T. Walsh.

Pollak previously spoke with People magazine about the lessons learned from working with director Rob Reiner on "A Few Good Men." Reiner's philosophy, according to Pollak, was to ensure that everyone on set was having fun, even while filming an intense drama. "The big thing with Rob was just, if we’re not having fun, there’s no point in any of this," Pollak recalled Reiner saying.