In recent years, the horror genre has been filled with original stories that have made an impact on the big screen, but few have proven to be as successful as “Smile.” Now, Parker Finn has extended the curse with a second installment, “Smile 2,” which hit theaters on October 18 and is already positioning itself to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2024 in the spooky category.
This time, the smiling curse targets Grammy-winning pop star Skye Riley, who is haunted by it to such an extent that she decides to put her life at absolute risk in order to eliminate it once and for all.
While Naomi Scott takes center stage as the protagonist, the rest of the cast is also gaining recognition, especially Ray Nicholson. There has been much discussion about the eerie smile he shares with his iconic father, Jack Nicholson, and during promotional activities for the flick, he revealed a central secret about their relationship.
Why Ray Nicholson chooses not to seek acting guidance from his dad
With 22 acting credits to his name, Ray Nicholson has made a name for himself in Hollywood beyond his father’s influence. From the “Panic” series to “Licorice Pizza,” he has often been asked what he has learned from the legendary Jack Nicholson. The topic came up again with “Smile 2,” especially because of a scene where he practically mimics Jack Torrance’s iconic smile from “The Shining.”
That part of the movie went viral as soon as the trailer featuring it was released, leading to even more questions for Ray about whether the “Batman” actor gave him advice on acting in horror films. His response in an interview with CBS Mornings surprised many, as he shared quite the opposite.
“My dad and I don’t talk that much about acting. I think probably I’d hang on to his words too much. It’s important for me to find my way. And with the smile, funny enough, my mom says, ‘You know, Ray, you were such a beautiful boy, and then you started to look like your father,'” he ended jokingly.
The “Smile 2” star is the son of the Oscar winner and actress Rebecca Broussard. He was born in 1992, two years after his sister, Lorraine. Curiously, Jack Nicholson himself joked about his resemblance to Ray in a 1994 interview with Vanity Fair: “Ray may have a problem with being a little too good-looking. When he was born, he looked like one of the farmers in The Magnificent Seven. He moves like me. There’s a lot of body language in him. Most infants pretty much don’t have chins. But Ray always had a jaw. You can’t wait to get him into a collar or a shaving commercial.”