Tessa Gourin, the daughter of Jack Nicholson, recently opened up about her estrangement from him, expressing that it appears he has no desire to form a connection with her.
In 1994, Gourin was born after a fleeting romance between her waitress mother Janine and the “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” star Jack Nicholson. Now 85 years old and reportedly secluded from society, he fathered Gourin when he was just 28.
Although Nicholson has never addressed the fact that Gourin is his daughter in a public statement, Hollywood insiders are well aware of this “open secret,” as accepted by The Daily Beast.
“From a very young age, my mother told me not to tell anyone that I have this famous dad,” Gourin said.
“I knew he was powerful and Daddy Warbucks-level rich, so I kind of equated my life to being like Orphan Annie’s,” she continued.
Long referred to as Nicholson’s “unacknowledged” daughter, Gourin was raised by her mom on the affluent Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is reported that her prestigious private schools were funded by none other than her famous father.
Despite purportedly offering financial aid to Gourin, Nicholson has had little contact with her in the subsequent years.
“I was raised by a single mother in a really intense, nuanced situation,” Gourin said. “I was dealt a really shitty random card, but I’m not gonna let that destroy me. In fact, I’m gonna use it to fuel me.”
At the time of this interview, Gourin had not been in contact with Nicholson for an undisclosed amount of time and admitted that their relationship was limited; she “doesn’t know him” well.
“My mom wanted me to have a relationship with him, but he said he wasn’t interested,” she said.
When approached by The Daily Beast questioning this phenomenon, Gourin provided the following response: “I don’t think anyone’s ever given me a concrete answer.”
She continued: “I formed my own opinion. He’s a complicated person, and I think my mom fights her own demons, and with the combination of the two, I was simply collateral damage.”
Although Gourin and her father, Nicholson, have not been in each other’s lives for some time, she believes that certain traits of his were passed down to her.
“I’m f–king crazy,” she said. “I’m not the poster child for sanity, and I do think that’s a little similar to my dad, from what I’ve read.”
She has embraced her father’s passion for acting and is now actively pursuing a career in the film industry – something she had once been reticent to pursue.
“I was afraid people would think I was tacky or that I was riding off his coattails,” she stated. “But this person doesn’t want me in his life, so how would you use that to your benefit?”
These days, the ambitious actress has reversed her outlook and penned an essay for Newsweek titled: “I’m Jack Nicholson’s Daughter — I Wish People Could Call Me a Nepo Baby.”
“Having grown up without my father, I’ve sat on the sidelines and watched in frustration as other celebrity children have seamlessly secured roles or been signed to huge agencies,” Gourin wrote.
“More recently, I have grown even more frustrated at what I think is a missed opportunity for these so-called ‘nepo babies’ to own their position and embrace it instead of complaining about it.”
Nicholson, who has been absent from the film industry since his 2010 romantic comedy “How Do You Know,” remains a Hollywood hermit. He is a father to at least five children with four distinct women. Numerous of these offspring have also pursued an acting career like their dad.
Jack Nicholson is the proud father of 59-year-old actress, Jennifer Nicholson, who he shares with ex-wife Sandra Knight.
In addition, he is a parent to Rebecca Broussard’s children: Lorraine Nicholson (32) and Ray Nicholson (30). Both of these aspiring actors have been spotted often accompanying their father at LA Lakers basketball games.
Besides, Nicholson is also recognized for having two additional children from previous relationships.
Jack Nicholson is the father of Caleb Goddard, 53. The two were connected through his “Five Easy” Pieces co-star Susan Anspach; however, it took 28 years for Jack to publicly accept that he was Caleb’s dad.
While Nicholson had a brief tryst with the Danish model, Winnie Hollman, it resulted in their daughter Honey Hollman who is now 41 years old. Much like Gourin’s case, Jack has refrained from openly acknowledging that he is her father.
