Jack Nicholson’s Son Ray Admits He ‘Can’t Talk About a Lot’ With 89-Year-Old Dad

Ray Nicholson gave some rare insight into his relationship with his famous dad, legendary actor Jack Nicholson.

Ray, 34, opened up about the father-son duo’s shared passion for basketball and acting in a chat with his sister Lorraine Nicholson, 36, for Interview magazine.

Explaining he thought he was going to play football in college, the Smile actor revealed how he eventually got into the family business instead.

“I love sports so much. It’s also the language of love that me and dad share,” Ray told his sibling. “We can’t talk about a lot, but we can talk about the [expletive] Lakers until kingdom come.”

He then recalled how, after losing a game, he started to lose feeling in his arm.

“I go to mom, I’m like, ‘I think I broke my elbow.’ We went to the hospital right away and they sent us out because I had a staph infection that got so bad it turned into MRSA, and I had to have 24-hour nurses,” he explained. “They put a mark on my arm that was like, “If it gets past here, we’re cutting your arm.”

Ray shared he then had a “voice-of-god moment that was like, ‘You don’t want to do this. You want to be an actor.'” He, however, wasn’t sure how to break that news to his father, 89.

“I was really scared to tell dad. But I went to USC and learned to love everything about filmmaking. My education really taught me that dad isn’t god,” the Mosquito Bowl star told his sister. “He’s not the only thing in this film industry. He’s a beautiful part of it, but a very small part. Yes, of course, making dad proud is high on my list, but this is really a way of finding who I am. And I feel that I’m on the right path to that.”

The reclusive The Shining star, 89, shares daughter Jennifer, 62, with ex-wife Sandra Knight, son Caleb, 56, with Five Easy Pieces costar Susan Anspach, daughter Honey, 44, with model Winnie Hollman, and kids Ray and Lorraine with actress Rebecca Broussard. He also has an estranged daughter, Tessa, 32, with Jennine Gourin.

As Closer previously reported, while the Hollywood icon has all but disappeared from the public eye in recent years, a source says he’s “absolutely not hiding from anybody he loves,” especially his children.

“He’s way more focused on whether these young adults are healthy, happy and in good spirits than he is on the scripts they’re reading or the meetings they’re getting,” adds the source. “It’s pretty clear that being a great and normal dad is his final mission in life.”

Ray and Lorraine, especially, “see Jack as their personal hero and they can’t get enough of the guy,” says the source. “They’re always checking in on one another and it’s heartwarming how supportive those kids are of their dad!”