In the 1996 film, "The River Bridge", Hunter plays "Jack Kellerman", a private detective loosely based on Jack Nicholson's J.J. Gittes from the film "Chinatown". James Hunter actually worked with Nicholson twice, playing a cab driver in "Something's Gotta Give", and a Jeopardy crew member in "The Bucket List". Hunter met Nicholson on set and actually saved him from a head injury by warning him when the actor nearly fell out of his chair and hit a nearby light stand. Hunter's scene was cut from the final film, but he got the opportunity to meet and work with his hero.