Jack Nicholson’s estranged daughter Tessa Gourin has opened up about how she felt like ‘Orphan Annie’ while growing up in New York City with a rich and powerful father she wasn’t allowed to talk about.
The 28-year-old actress was raised by her mother, former real estate agent Jennine Gourin, who was a young waitress when she allegedly had a fling with Nicholson and got pregnant in 1994.
Nicholson, who has five other children with four different women, has never publicly acknowledged Gourin as his daughter. She has been candid about how she wishes she would be called a ‘nepo baby’ after years of being labeled his ‘illegitimate’ child.
‘From a very young age, my mother told me not to tell anyone that I have this famous dad,’ she told The Daily Beast. ‘I knew he was powerful and Daddy Warbucks-level rich, so I kind of equated my life to being like Orphan Annie’s.’
Tessa Gourin, 28, opened up about her childhood and estranged father Jack Nicholson in an interview with The Daily Beast after sharing how she wished she could be called a ‘nepo baby’
The actress compared herself to ‘Orphan Annie’ growing up, saying she knew Nicholson was ‘powerful and Daddy Warbucks-level rich,’ but she wasn’t allowed to say he was her dad
Gourin developed a passion for performing at an early age, but her mother wouldn’t let her be a child actor
Gourin, who loved the musical ‘Annie’ growing up, hence her comparison to the main character, developed a passion for performing at an early age, but her mother wouldn’t let her be a child actor.
She grew up on the Upper East Side in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother and half-brother. She recalled how she would spend a few hours or days with Nicholson here or there, but she never really got to know him.
She admitted that no one has ever given her a ‘concrete answer’ as to why he wasn’t more present in her life.
‘My mom wanted me to have a relationship with him, but he said he wasn’t interested,’ she shared.
Nicholson funded her private school education, but she explained that she didn’t fully benefit from it because her ‘home life wasn’t great’ and she was ‘acting out.’
Gourin performed in high school plays, though she later shied away from acting. In her early 20s, she was worried about how people would react to her following in her famous father’s footsteps without his blessing.
‘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?’
Gourin made headlines last fall when she slammed actress and model Lily-Rose Depp for denying that she benefited from nepotism as the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis.
Nicholson (pictured with his daughter Lorraine and son Raymond in 2006) has five other children with four different women, has never publicly acknowledged Gourin as his daughter
Gourin was raised by her mother, former real estate agent Jennine Gourin, who was a young waitress when she allegedly had a fling with Nicholson and got pregnant in 1994
Nicholson funded Gourin’s private school education, but she explained that she didn’t fully benefit from it because her ‘home life wasn’t great’ and she was ‘acting out’
Gourin (pictured with Chase Crawford while he was filming Gossip Girl) performed in high school plays, but she shied away from acting in her early 20s because she worried people would think it was ‘tacky’
‘The internet cares a lot more about who your family is than the people who are casting you in things. Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in the door. There’s a lot of work that comes after that,’ Depp, 23, told Elle magazine.
‘It’s weird to me to reduce somebody to the idea that they’re only there because it’s a generational thing. It just doesn’t make any sense,’ she continued. ‘If somebody’s mom or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, “Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor.” It’s like, “No, I went to medical school and trained.”‘
Gourin shared a screenshot of an article about Depp’s comments on Instagram Stories in November, writing, ‘Things could be worse girl trust me!!”
‘I’d be thrilled to use my “nepo baby” title (that I can’t claim bc it isn’t considered “legitimate”) if it meant I could get in the room and showcase my talent and craft,’ she explained in a follow-up post. ‘Do you know how hard it is to even get an audition?! Let alone an agent/manager?! Now we’re gonna cry about that??!!!
‘This obsession our society has with identifying as victims in any circumstance is truly terrifying to me,’ she continued. ‘Acting is an art form and a craft. Use your rage of feeling misunderstood or victimized by Hollywood and put it into work that you are so lucky to be getting!!!!
‘Can we just start taking the win? F***. Life is unfair. It is the artist’s DUTY to take the unfairness of life and put it into their work. End of story.’
Gourin later clarified her comments about Depp, whom she insisted she is a fan of, in an essay for Newsweek, which was published with the headline, ‘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,’ she 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.’
Gourin doesn’t have a manager or an agent yet, but she has spent the past two years working with legendary acting teacher Tony Greco, who coached Philip Seymour Hoffman
Gourin made headlines last fall when she slammed Lily-Rose Depp for denying that she benefited from nepotism as the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis
Gourin admitted she would ‘be thrilled’ to be considered a ‘nepo baby’ if it meant she could get her foot in the door and showcase her acting talent
Gourin later clarified her comments about Depp in an essay for Newsweek, writing, ‘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 went on to share how her curiosity about her father has led her to watch his old interviews and acceptance speeches and read Anjelica Huston’s memoir ‘Watch Me’ about their relationship.
She has learned that they have the same sense of humor, they both like to paint, and they both study method acting. She explained that she admires him as an actor and doesn’t have any bitterness toward him.
‘If there is anything I am mourning, it is not a father-daughter relationship, but an artist-to-artist connection that we could have shared had the circumstances been different,’ she wrote. ‘In the end, he’s a celebrity with whom I just happen to share DNA.’
Gourin told The Daily Beast that she has spent the past two years working with legendary acting teacher Tony Greco, who coached Philip Seymour Hoffman.
She doesn’t have an agent or a manager yet, but she is looking forward to the release of an upcoming feature that she acted in.
She added that she is also writing and starring in a short film that takes place in a hotel room, saying, ‘It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to say to my father.
‘I was dealt a really s****y random card, but I’m not gonna let that destroy me. In fact, I’m gonna use it to fuel me,’ she explained in the interview.
‘I feel like every really good artist, what’s at their core, what their ultimate hardships and conflicts are within their lives—that’s what drives them, and that just happens to be mine.’
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