Who is Ray Nicholson, Jack Nicholson's son in Smile 2?

The 32-year-old actor was cast in the horror film because its director is a fan of The Shining!

We knew Patrick Schwarzenegger, Maya Hawke and Jack Quaid. So Ray Nicholsonthe son of Jack Nicholson. The 32 actor makes a notable appearance in Smile 2which has been a hit at the cinema for a week. And it's no coincidence.

The director Parker Finn confided today to Entertainment Weekly that “totally” chose Ray in relation to his father and in particular to Shiningthe classic of Stanley Kubrickher “favorite movie of all time“. He assumes: “I think I always try to reference The Shining in my career. Along with Ray, he auditioned for this role. The hearing was so strong. Of course, Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors of all time. I love that Ray has very strong genes, and that smile. Instantly I was like, 'Oh my God, this is like watching a young Jack!' What really struck me was how he slipped into the venomous but charming character he plays in the film.“

Finn clarifies that he didn't write the role with Ray in mind, but that his casting is a “wonderful twist of fate“, which the director pushed to the point of reproducing certain sequences from Shining In Smile 2.

“We're very intentionally referencing the color palette of the iconic scene in the bar at the Overlook Hotel. As I worked with my costume designer, Alexis Forte, we started trying out things on Ray for that scene, and As soon as we put him in his costume in the movie, we said there was definitely something from The Shining. He looks exactly like Jack!”

It should be noted that Ray Nicholson does not make his acting debut in Smile 2. After launching his career in 2018, the 32-year-old actor moved to cinema in the Licorice Pizza by Paul Thomas Anderson (2021) after being a biker in 4 episodes of Mayans MCthe series derived from Sons of Anarchy. The son of Rebecca Broussard (1980s model married to Jack Nicholson between 1989 and 1995 and vaguely appeared in Die Hard) will continue his career in film Novocainea thriller which will be released in theaters next year, and carried by… Jack Quaid!