Jack Nicholson’s Estranged Daughter Tessa Gourin Speaks Up About Fatherless Childhood

Jack Nicholson’s estranged daughter, Tessa Gourin, is reflecting on her fatherless youth.

The 28-year-old spoke candidly in a latest interview with The Daily Beast about her ardour for appearing, the wasted potential of so-called “nepo babies” — and what it looks like to not be publically acknowledged by Nicholson as his daughter.

“From a very young age, my mother told me not to tell anyone that I have this famous dad,” Gourin advised the outlet. “I knew he was powerful and Daddy Warbucks-level rich, so I kind of equated my life to being like Orphan Annie’s.”

Gourin mentioned her single mom raised her and her youthful half-brother in a two-bedroom condominium. She advised the outlet Nicholson agreed to finance her personal New York City training however that his absence spurred childhood outbursts and faculty expulsions.

“A few years ago, I was casually dating this guy who was also an actor, and I opened up to him… about how difficult it was for me growing up,” Gourin added. “His response was to start doing a monologue from ‘The Departed,’ in the accent and everything.”

“They used to make me say ‘Here’s Johnny,’ and obviously at 8 years old, I’d never even seen ‘The Shining,’” claimed Gourin about her childhood summer season camp counselors.

Gourin first got here to nationwide consideration earlier this month after Newsweek printed her essay, “I’m Jack Nicholson’s Daughter — I Wish People Could Call Me a Nepo Baby,” as a part of latest cultural discourse relating to the advantaged youngsters of well-known individuals.

“Having grown up without my father, I’ve sat on the sidelines and watched in frustration as other celebrity children have seamlessly secured roles,” she wrote. “…I have grown even more frustrated at what I think is a missed opportunity for these so-called ‘nepo-babies.’”

Gourin urged her extra lucky friends to “own their position and embrace it instead of complaining about it” and advised The Daily Beast she “can also understand the frustration” — however that an actor’s important “driving force” must be to show oneself no matter labels.

Some actors like Allison Williams poignantly acknowledged their familial benefit. Others, like Lily-Rose Depp — Johnny Depp’s daughter — publicly decried the label. Ultimately, Depp’s pushback towards the title, mentioned Gourin, impressed her piece.

Gourin has needed to behave her whole life however mentioned her mom prohibited her from following that zeal as a toddler. Gourin was later hesitant to comply with in her father’s footsteps however reassessed after “excruciating” remedy, and now she’s a fledgling New York actor.

When requested why her well-known father had determined to not be concerned in her life, Gourin mentioned no one had ever given her “a concrete answer.” She mentioned Nicholson is “a complicated person,” and her mom “fights her own demons” as nicely.

Nicholson hasn’t starred in a significant film since “How Do You Know” in 2010, which was broadly panned by critics and audiences alike, and has since retreated from the highlight. He reportedly has at the least 5 different youngsters with 4 completely different ladies.

Some of them have adopted Nicholson into present enterprise — whereas Gourin has had to take action on her personal.

“I was dealt a really shitty random card, but I’m not gonna let that destroy me,” she mentioned. “In fact, I’m gonna use it to fuel me. I feel like every really good actor…what their ultimate hardships and conflicts are… that’s what drives them, and that just happens to be mine.”