Jack Nicholson's Daughter Tessa Gourin Speaks out About Her Estranged Father

By Ashley Turner

Jack Nicholson's daughter Tessa Gourin says her estranged father simply doesn't want a relationship with her. In 1994, she was born after her waitress mother, Janine, had a fling with the reclusive One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest star, now 85. It was never publicly acknowledged that Nicholson is the father of Gourin, but his paternity is considered "an open secret" in Hollywood, according to The Daily Beast. "From a very young age, my mother told me not to tell anyone that I have this famous dad," Gourin told the outlet during a Feb. 15 interview "I knew he was powerful and Daddy Warbucks-level rich, so I kind of equated my life to being like Orphan Annie's," she added. Described as Nicholson's "illegitimate" daughter, Gourin attended private schools allegedly paid for by her superstar father. Her mom raised her on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Yet Nicholson has not contacted Gourin for many years despite reportedly providing her with financial assistance. "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."

It was unclear when Gourin last spoke to Nicholson, and she admitted that she did not know him well. "My mom wanted me to have a relationship with him, but he said he wasn't interested," she stated. The Daily Beast asked Gourin why that was the case, and she responded: "I don't think anyone's ever given me a concrete answer." She added, "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." Gourin maintained she shares some of Nicholson's traits, despite being estranged from him. "I'm f— crazy," the daughter stated. "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." While she initially shied away from a career in the film industry, she now shares her dad's love of acting. "I was afraid people would think I was tacky or that I was riding off his coattails," she said. "But this person doesn't want me in his life, so how would you use that to your benefit?"

She recently penned an essay for Newsweek entitled, "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 not appeared in a movie since the romantic comedy How Do You Know, has at least five other children with four women. Several of his other children are actors as well. Jennifer Nicholson, 59, is Nicholson's daughter with ex-wife Sandra Knight. With his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Broussard, he has two children, Lorraine Nicholson, 32, and Ray Nicholson, 30. Both have been seen sitting courtside with their father at LA Lakers basketball games.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of