Jack Nicholson Helped Son Ray ‘Avoid the Dark Temptations of Hollywood’: ‘So Grateful’ for Guidance

Jack Nicholson may be reclusive these days now that he’s 87, but he lights up over his son Ray and his impressive list of credits that he achieved on his own, without relying on his famous dad to help, a source exclusively tells Closer.

“Jack’s so proud of Ray for striking out on his own. No doubt doors opened a lot faster, being Jack’s son, but Ray had to work that much harder to prove himself,” the insider says. 

The 32-year-old actor bears a striking resemblance to a young Jack, especially around the film icon’s The Shining days. Ray embraced shades of his father’s horror glory years while starring in Smile 2, giving, intentionally or not, a chilling rendition of his father’s character Jack Torrance from the Stanley Kubrick classic – the similar signature look of a character losing their mind.

The director of the film, Parker Finn even told Entertainment Weekly he “totally” cast Ray as an homage to his “favorite film of all time.”

The resemblance isn’t surprising, considering Ray told Deadline in October 2024 “[Jack’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.”

To date, Ray has racked up 22 movie roles, most bit parts, but the young man is clearly working his way up through the industry on his own merit instead of relying on his royal Hollywood name to land him leading roles.

Similar to his dad Jack however, Ray is choosy about his roles and prefers playing morally gray characters, telling Variety in November 2022, “Most of what I’m looking for is the classic anti-hero character … I like playing people who you may not like, but that you love. I’m always looking for material that I can connect to on a personal level.”

Despite being busy these days – with two projects in the pipeline currently, Novocaine and Borderline, the insider says he still makes time for his old man.  

“Ray visits Jack when he can, he’s so grateful to his dad for all the encouragement and advice he’s given over the years to make it on his own and not succumb to the dark temptations in Hollywood.”

“They’re very close, father and son,” the source adds. “Ray seems to be a normal kid and people admire him for that, there’s no bloated ego or sense of entitlement there. Jack isn’t the only one who thinks Ray’s going to go far.”

Ray is also ready to march toward a bright future for his career and has expressed how much he loves his work.  “I feel prepared for where the future is taking me, and I’m certainly not cowering under the covers. I want people to like the work, and I love the process of making films. I’m in love with the camp and circus environment that it creates and the relationships that are formed,” the actor said, adding, “I’m a deeply fearful person by nature, but when I take my first step into something creative, I just want to keep going.”