Nico Parker, the daughter of Thandie Newton and OI Parker, has unquestionably made a name for herself since her career debut in the 2019 Tim Burton movie, Dumbo. The talented 19-year-old sat down with Flaunt Magazine for a new interview to talk career, her past and present views on acting, and more. Take a look at a snippet from her interview below.
Contrary to belief, not all off-spring of those who are in the entertainment industry want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. At first, Nico was one of those. As a matter of fact, she dismissed the career path as “quite boring”.
“Because both of my parent’s careers were centered around that world,” she explained in the interview, “I was never interested because I saw it in a less glamorous light.” However, her view of the industry began to change when she auditioned for the live-action Tim Burton film, saying that her first audition process gave her an “unwavering rush.” And of course, from there, she was hooked.
After Dumbo, Nico has gone on to star in several other critically acclaimed projects that include: The Third Day (2020), Reminiscence (2021), The Last of Us (2023), and Suncoast (2024).
Yet, every blue moon, a project crosses an actors desk and after they read the script, they are so impressed by what they read, the question whether or not they have the right stuff to pull off the perfect character portrayal on screen. For Parker, that moment manifested into reality when she got the script for Suncoast.
Parker reminisces in the interview saying that she “didn’t know if I would be good enough to carry it out because it’s so personal.” Parker said that she immediately thought to herself, “‘I can’t live up to the expectations of playing a party so heavy.’” She continued, “Because it required so much, I just didn’t know if I would be good enough to carry it out because it’s so personal.”
After meeting with the director, Laura Chinn, and discussing the project further, Parker knew the part was meant for her. The talented teen went on to embody the spirit of “Doris” like none other, saying that the role for her became a sort of “healing”.
“In a way, it was kind of healing the inner 14-year-old child in me,” she reflected on the filming process. “I think everyone has those experiences of feeling really uncool and trying to fit in, and it’s just that awful turbulent time in life. So I definitely was drawing from some of my own experiences. But, it was also horrible because I would be on set and Laura would make me stand there and look as uncomfortable as I could, and I would find it so embarrassing,” she paused and laughed. “All I could shout across set at Laura was, ‘Why are you making me do this!?’”
So what is next on Parker’s radar? Well, she is off to train dragons!
Parker’s upcoming project, releasing in 2025, is the live action film, How To Train Your Dragon. The project, is inspired by the fantasy book series, by Cressida Cowell, of the same name. In the upcoming movie, Parker will portray Astrid, the main character Hiccup’s first nemesis, and then eventual companion.
Although could not share any details about the upcoming Universal live-action film, she did tout the genius of director Dean DeBlois. “His directing is such a draw in because he cares so much about it, and it’s such a special story to him and you can feel it in everything he does, from every shot to every note he gives.”
How To Train Your Dragon is slated to release March 14, 2025.
Now that Parker is a personified member, of #younghollywood, has her perception on acting changed? Well, for the most part, yes. However, she does still find the competitive nature of the industry, among other aspects, a bit alarming.
“When I was younger,” she began, “I think I was more cynical about acting than I am now, which is strange because I feel like normally it’s the other way around. As I’ve gotten older and been a part of it myself, there’s something so magical about being around all of it. If you lean all the way into it you could think about it constantly.”
To read Parker’s interview with Flaunt Magazine in its entirety, click here.
Photo: Lee Malone/Flaunt Magazine; Nico Parker Instagram
