There's more to Ray Nicholson than meets the eye.
The US actor and son of Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson and former model and actress Rebecca Broussard is taking his own place in the spotlight.
The 32-year-old has been toiling away at his career for almost 20 years, appearing in short films and TV shows before landing meatier roles.
Little is publicly known about Ray's childhood.
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The scene from Smile 2 that's giving movie lovers serious deja vu. (Paramount Pictures)He was born in February 1992, has an older sister, Loraine, and his famous parents split when he was a toddler, after five years together.
After a handful of short film projects, Ray was cast in the season finale of Mayan MC in 2018.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kurt Sutter, the series creator, screenwriter and director, heaped praise on the up and coming star.
"He's such a sweet kid who's a really good actor," he said.
Over the years, Ray has quickly added bigger projects to his resume.
In 2020, he appeared in the Oscar-winning psychological thriller Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan.
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Ray Nicholson has been building his acting career for almost two decades. (Matt Lankes/Amazon Studios)A year later he booked a recurring role in the suspenseful series Panic and the coming-of-age romantic comedy, Licorice Pizza.
He took on his first lead role in 2022's Out of the Blue opposite Diane Kruger.
"It was a really wonderful thing to know that I didn't have to give anything more than I was capable of giving, and I know that I poured everything that I had at the time into it. I hope that it showed up," he told ScreenRant.
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He continued his string of romantic roles with the Christmas film Something from Tiffany's.
Ray's career shifted direction in 2023, between suspense and romance straight to the horror film genre.
He made headlines this week for his role in the new horror film, Smile 2.
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Ray's physical similarity to his father Jack Nicholson, pictured in a famous scene from The Shining, can't be denied. (Getty)With a single grin, Ray is the film's breakout star.
Many are even comparing his expression to one that helped make his dad famous - Nicholson's eerily sinister smile in the 1980 horror, The Shining.
In fact, the film's director, Parker Finn, revealed to Entertainment Weekly, the comparison in the film was deliberate.
Finn said he cast Ray opposite Naomi Scott in homage to the Stanley Kuburick classic.
"I think I'm always trying to reference The Shining," he said.
During press interviews for the film, Ray has been asked about the similarities.
Of the resemblance to his famous dad, Ray says, "My face is my face." (Getty Images for Paramount Pictu)"Well, our faces do look alike… we are related," Ray replied to ET.
Asked whether he had wanted to follow in his father's footsteps into horror films, Ray said it was simpler than that.
"I've always wanted to be an actor and this is the most amazing way to get into it," he said.
He's the son of one of the most famous faces in the world
"To be able to work with [director] Parker, who's so talented and incredible, and to be able to support Naomi, I'm just happy to be there and my face is my face."
In a separate interview, Ray was also quizzed about the likeness to his dad.
"With the smile ... funny enough, my mum says, 'You know, Ray, you were such a beautiful boy and then you started to look like your father'," he said with a laugh.
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