As a seven-year-old, Sassica Francis-Bruce had a rather unusual introduction to the world of cinema: actor Jack Nicholson vomited cherry juice all over her. While it might sound alarming, she recalls it as a far more exciting experience than sitting in a classroom.
Sassica often accompanied her father, a film editor, to work. She grew up surrounded by the magic of movie-making, but the day Nicholson sprayed her with cherry-colored juice during a furious scene remains a standout memory.
"He burst through the doors of a church and began a profanity-riddled tirade against God and women," she remembers. "When he reached the front row where I sat and turned towards me, I froze. His eyes were abnormally alert, his hair wild and uncombed, and saliva dripped from his mouth like a Neapolitan mastiff."
That odd childhood moment, she says, certainly beat doing schoolwork.