Fans have been praising an actor starring a new horror film due to his performance and likeness to his father.

Sequels don’t always hit the money but Smile 2 seems to have delighted viewers following its release on October 18.

Those impressed with the follow-up to the first horror flick from 2022 – which was dubbed ‘one of the creepiest movies of the year’ – have been applauding one cast member you might have recognized from the promotional material.

A viral Twitter post has praised the casting while also arguing it was a nepotism hire.

But who was the supposed nepo-casting? Well, it seems the marketing department behind the film wanted to play into the actor’s resemblances to his father and one of his most famous movies.

If you have seen some of the promotional material for Smile 2 you might be wondering why acting legend Jack Nicholson had come out of retirement to star in this film.

Only to realize that it actually wasn’t Jack Nicholson but his son, Ray Nicholson – they just have a very similar face.

Ray Nicholson smiling like a ‘normal’ person at a red carpet event for the film (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

On top of that, Ray appears to be doing the ‘Kubrick stare’ his father made famous starring in 1980’s The Shining.

The post read: “Nepo casting is rarely good but Ray Nicholson in Smile 2 is the best nepo casting of all time. This is just insanely iconic.”

One person commented: “Bro is bred from the fires of amazing acting. Let him cook.”

Another wrote: “When I saw the poster I was genuinely confused why they used Jack Nicholson from The Shining in the promo. Had NO IDEA it was his son. Absolutely uncanny.”

The actor plays Paul Hudson in Smile 2 (Paramount Pictures)

A third added: “Ray Nicholson in Smile 2 has one of the best performances of the year, hands down. He’s not in it a lot, but enough to show his talent, he’s literally his dad.”

Smile 2 director, Parker Finn, shared that he cast the actor as a homage to his ‘favorite film of all time’, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

In an interview to Entertainment Weekly, he said: “I think I’m always trying to reference The Shining.

The resemblance really is uncanny (Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros.)

“With Ray, he auditioned for that role. The audition was so strong. Of course, Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors of all time. I love that Ray has very strong genes, and his smile, instantly, I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s like looking at a young Jack.'”

Finn went on to say that Ray’s performance really had him ensnared.

He added: “What really struck me was how well he slipped into that venomous but charming character he’s playing in the film. He could bring again that feeling of, I’m really, really anxious, but part of it is also tickling me.”

Smile 2 is in cinemas now.