Sean Hayes plays Jack Nicholson’s right-hand man in the comedy film The Bucket List directed by Rob Reiner and co-starring Morgan Freeman. Hayes, who’s best known for his role as the irrepressible Jack in the long-running TV series Will & Grace, admits he approached The Bucket List and starring alongside Nicholson and Freeman with a little bit of trepidation. “At the beginning, it’s always [that] you’re a little leery about acting with icons, as anyone would be, but [Nicholson] he was very open to suggestions, and so it became very easy. It became kind of an unspoken thing. I’d kind of toss out an idea and he would back, and it worked very nicely.”
Nicholson and Freeman play cancer patients who write out a list of things to do before they kick the bucket. Although one’s a billionaire (Nicholson) and the other’s a mechanic (Freeman), their wish list of things to accomplish before they pass away applies to both men equally. As Nicholson’s assistant, Hayes has to organize their worldwide adventure tour so that they can travel the globe crossing off items from their list.
Hayes found both gentlemen to be warm and gracious. And after working closely with Morgan and Nicholson, Hayes was able to figure out what, from an actor’s perspective, sets these two acting legends apart from the pack. “They are so great because it’s effortless for them to produce genius,” explained Hayes. “You can just stand back and watch it. Every day I would go, I had to stop my brain from thinking, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, I’m in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman,’ and just kind of shut that part of myself off so I could act. But, yeah, they’re great at what they do because it’s always real. They put the effort into it and you can see it. And they choose great projects and all of those things. It’s a pretty easy answer.”
Since the end of Will & Grace’s run on TV, Hayes has been very careful about picking projects. Financially comfortable, Hayes is able to bide his time and be choosy. “It does afford you the luxury of waiting for only good things to come,” said Hayes of his time on the hit sitcom. “I read, just like the [producers of The Bucket List], everybody, thousands of scripts a year looking for a great one. ”
“Actually, even when I was living in an apartment, I didn’t need the paycheck. You do it because you love to do it. You don’t do it for the dollars. So it’s nice to still feel passionate about wanting to wait for the right thing,” added Hayes.
So what’s he looking for and what will make him sign on to a film? “Like any actor, you try to make intelligent choices that will both challenge you and propel you forward, as opposed to staying kind of stagnate and choosing the easy road and doing things you’re comfortable with,” said Hayes. “It’s always important to get outside of your comfort zone and do things that challenge you.”
