Cher ‘left in tears’ over Jack Nicholson’s ageist comment

She’s one of the worlds most popular performers, and Cher recently cemented her star status joining the cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

But despite her success, Cher claims she was once considered “too old” and “not sexy” enough — and it was all because of her Witches of Eastwick co-star Jack Nicholson and Australian director George Miller.

The 72-year-old, who is currently on tour, told the story to a crowd at Atlantic City last week, The Hollywood Reporter revealed. She said in 1986 she was dreading turning 40, but after a great birthday party, she was excited about the milestone age.

“So I went to sleep, dreaming these fabulous thoughts of being 40 and it was good,” she said. “And I was going to get all these movies and I was just so happy.”

Read more: ‘Wild Child’ Cher reveals childhood incident that landed her in jail

But her thoughts were interrupted after she received an unexpected call from Miller, who was directing an upcoming film she hoped to score a role in.

“And in the morning, my telephone rang and the man said, ‘Hi, Cher, it’s George Miller.’ I said, ‘Hey, George.’ He was the director of Witches of Eastwick. So he said, ‘I just wanted to call and tell you that I don’t want you in my movie and Jack Nicholson and I think you’re too old and you’re not sexy’. Good morning, 40!”

She said the comments left her in tears and heartbroken, with Cher claiming that Miller continued to insult her.

“I was heartbroken. I wanted this movie so badly. Usually, in Hollywood, if you insult somebody, you hang up,” she said. “He didn’t want to hang up. He just wanted to tell me everything: ‘I hate the way you walk, I hate the way you talk, I don’t like the colour of your hair, I don’t like your eyes’.”

Despite being upset, the ‘Believe’ singer didn’t let Miller have his say without defending herself. Having the last laugh, she informed that she wasn’t found under a rock and reminded him that she was nominated for an Academy Award for her appearance in Silkwood. She also won a Cannes Film Festival award for best actress after she appeared in Mask.

Read more: Cher and Meryl Streep saved a woman from a violent attack

Cher eventually won the lead role of Alexandra in the hit film, starring alongside Nicholson, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.

And more than 30 years later, the Oscar-winning actress remains a pop icon. She recently starred in the sequel to the 2008 hit film Mamma Mia!, and is still making music. In addition to touring, Cher is set to release her 26th studio album, Dancing Queen, featuring covers of ABBA’s biggest hits.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of ageist comments? How did you react to them? 

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