Ray Nicholson is a chip off the old block.
Nicholson, who is the son of acting legend Jack Nicholson, appears in the upcoming horror movie “Smile 2,” which comes out Oct. 18. In a promo poster for the flick, the younger Nicholson smiles and it’s hard not to notice how much he looks like his dad did in his classic 1980 horror movie “The Shining.”
Ray Nicholson, 32, was asked about how similar their smiles look.
“You know, we’re very different people,” he told Deadline.
“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’s my inspiration. I ate dinner with him every night, you know? I studied it. That’s how I learned how to be a human being. So, of course we’re going to be kind of similar.”
Ray Nicholson went on to say he feels grateful to have the dad he does, as he charted his own course in his life.
“But 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,’” he said.
“So, I’m just glad -- I love him. He’s my hero. I’m the luckiest kid in the world. That’s all I would say about it.”
Ray Nicholson is one of two kids Jack Nicholson shares with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Broussard, along with daughter Lorraine. All told, the Oscar winner has six kids with five women.
“Ray might not tell you exactly what he’s up to, but once he’s got his mind set on something, he’s gonna stick to it and take care of business, no matter what me or nobody else says,” Nicholson said in a 2008 interview with AARP The Magazine.
Nicholson also said he had a good relationship with Ray and Lorraine while they were growing up.
“I always read to them, from childhood on; I think that’s a father’s responsibility. I took them to things I knew they might not love — opera, ballet,” he said. “They like going to the ball games with me. And they are very comfortable around show business; they are good set rats.”