Jack Nicholson’s actor son Ray on what he learned from the three-time Oscar winner: “We’re very different people”

Ray Nicholson, the son of acting legend Jack Nicholson, has spoken about what he learned from his father, claiming they are “very different people”.

The younger Nicholson, 32, is currently starring in horror sequel Smile 2, as the boyfriend of Naomi Scott’s pop singer Skye Riley. In recent years, he has also appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman and the Amazon Prime Video series Panic.

Speaking to Deadline ahead of the premiere of Smile 2, Nicholson was asked about the likeness of his character in the film to his father’s legendary Jack Torrance character in 1980’s The Shining.

Ray Nicholson on fans reactions to the similarities between his ‘Smile 2’ promo poster and his father Jack Nicholson’s infamous ‘The Shining’ smile, plus how his father is an inspiration to him: “He’s my hero” | #SmileMovie pic.twitter.com/FZ6bwSOAxs

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) October 15, 2024

“We’re very different people,” Ray explained. “I was born in 1992, he was born in 1937. The things that affect me don’t necessarily affect him.”

“Obviously, I love him,” he added. “He’s my inspiration. I ate dinner with him every night. I studied it, that’s how I learned to be a human being. So, of course we’re gonna be kind of similar.”

When asked if his father had given him advice on his craft, he said: “As far as talking about it, if he ever did tell me something, I probably wouldn’t investigate it for myself because I’d be like, ‘You’re the best, of course that’s right’, and it might not work for me.”

“I love him. He’s also my hero. I’m the luckiest kid in the world.”

With a total of 12 nods, Nicholson senior is the most-nominated male performer in Oscars history. He won for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Next, Terms Of Endearment and As Good As It Gets, making him one of only six actors to have won three Academy Awards.

He has not appeared in a feature film since 2010’s How Do You Know, a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd.

He has never officially retired, and his ex-partner Lara Flynn Boyle teased in July that “there’s no retiring for the world of Jack. Never.” Last year however, a friend of the actor said he would rather “sit under a tree and read a book” than return to acting.

In other news, Al Pacino recently revealed that Nicholson was one of the first choices for studio bosses to play the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The actor claimed that Robert Redford, Warren Beatty and Ryan O’Neal were also ahead of him in Paramount’s preferences.

A new film about the making of The Shining was released on YouTube in July. Shine On – The Forgotten Shining Location was narrated by Michael Sheen and revisited the studio locations of the film and explored the art direction of the legendary Overlook Hotel.

Smile 2 is released on Friday (October 18), and is directed by Parker Finn, who also helmed the original film in 2022.

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