Nico Parker is a name that you should get used to. The actress, who made her grand acting debut in the 2019 re-imagining of the Disney classic Dumbo, is now a part of the star cast of the hotly-anticipated post-apocalyptic drama television series, The Last Of Us.
In the series, which is set twenty years after civilisation has been destroyed, Nico plays the teenage daughter of protagonist Joel (Pedro Pascal), who embarks on a perilous cross-country journey in a bid to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive military quarantine zone. Based on the 2013 action-adventure video game of the same name, expectations for the series are lofty. After all, The Last Of Us became one of the best-selling games in its first week of release with 1.3 million units sold, and to date, it has a die-hard cult following.
So how are the series' stars handling the immense pressure to satisfy? Luckily, at only nineteen-years-old, Nico is remarkably grounded, with a great head on her shoulders – both obvious traits enabling her to handle the pressure of such a coveted project that has already topped many lists of essential small-screen viewing in 2023.
“I feel empowered when people actually listen to me and they actually understand who I am.”
Entertainment is also an industry Nico has long been familiar with, given that her parents are Emmy award-winning actress Thandiwe Newton and director/screenwriter Ol Parker, who brought 2018's flick, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to life. So it's safe to say that performance is in her DNA, and we can only expect great things from her.
Here, Nico Parker talks to GLAMOUR about filming for the role of Sarah in The Last Of Us, navigating Hollywood as a rising star, and the hot-topic debate of nepotism.
GLAMOUR: Can you tell us how you got involved in The Last of Us and how you felt being part of such a fantastic project?
Nico: I got involved through a regular audition. The show wasn't secret. Everyone thinks it was because with things like Marvel, you have really secret, elaborate plans, and no one knows they're happening. The Last Of Us was just a regular process. I got an audition, and then the audition turned into a Zoom and just spiralled. I found out that I had the part when Craig Mazin, the showrunner, writer and all-around extraordinaire, wrote to my dad, like, "How tall is Nico? Because on the internet, it says she's four foot nine." My dad was like, "She's five six." Then my dad was like, "I think you've got the part because he wouldn't ask otherwise." So yeah, I just got involved in it in a very normal way. I already knew what The Last of Us was, and I knew it has fans, but it was only when I arrived in Calgary two years ago [for filming] I realised it was a really big deal.
I can imagine the casting process was challenging, though?
Because of COVID, auditions are completely different now. It was a self-tape with my dad, which is great because me and my dad hang out all the time. But it was kind of awkward as I always freeze up a bit because I'm scared of his disapproval. But yeah, we did a self-tape and then sent that and then it was a Zoom with me and Craig, Neil [Druckmann] and the casting director. I was terrified of Neil. I remember him just being in a really dark room, and I was looking at him like, "Oh my God, he hates me!" When I got it, I was like, "What?!"
How familiar were you with the game before getting the role?
I mean, I'm just not good with video games. I wish I had played The Last Of Us, but I didn't. But I very much knew what it was, though. When I was younger, I used to watch gamers playing the game. Then I graduated from that to watching the silent gameplay as if it were a movie. Then really strangely, and this actually sounds like a lie, but it really happened, a week before I got the audition, I was with my friend in my bedroom, and we're like, "what movie should we watch?" I was like, "You know what we should watch? There's this video game, but I swear it's a movie." We watched it, and we both cried and watched it like a mess. We even got three hours into the gameplay, which wasn't even interactive for us. We're just sitting gawking at it. Then a week later, I got the audition. That was crazy!
That's the universe preparing you! Do you feel pressure over the video game having a cult following, which may mean that fans will have a lot of expectations from the series?
Everyone puts pressure on themselves. It's difficult not to, but we all felt it. Definitely. But it was easy because Craig and Neil are lovely, and they just removed the pressure from the set. Filming became easier, but it was more so a thing of you going home, and you're like, "oh my God!" I remember the day it got announced that I was in it, I was like, "whoa". I didn't even realise how big of a deal it all was. There's definitely a pressure to meet expectations and to stay true to existing material whilst also not emulating exactly what's seen in the game. So there was the pressure of wanting to do it justice. Also, the actors in the game are so wonderful, and you're thinking about how you're meant to top these people even though it's all pixels. So that pressure is very much there. Set-wise, Pedro is a wonderful human and a very comforting presence. So all of that together made it so that when you're filming, you don't think about it. But, there were days when I went home and was like, “I could have done that better. That was awful.” However, that is on any set, but it gets heightened when there are already people who are fanatics of the show.
A Good Person looks so heart-wrenching.
Your character Sarah is Joel's daughter, who the incredible Pedro Pascal plays. How was the dynamic filming with him, as he had much more heavy, intense scenes?
It was amazing because it [Nico and Pedro's scenes] was the very first thing that was filmed for The Last of Us. So it was just Pedro and me for a while. When I say this, I'm worried that he in interviews will be like, "Yeah, she's nice," but he's genuinely one of my best friends. It was wonderful because there's a pressure to get on with someone, and when you're playing my dad, it's like we have to get on. We have a week to make it seem like we've known each for fourteen years. But very quickly, it was like, "Oh, you are my friend, and this is great." So then that just continued on throughout filming, and when it got to the more intense scenes between the two of us, that was all concentrated towards the end of filming, which I was thankful for because then we already knew each other. The boundaries had been dropped by then, and there was no awkwardness, and you could ask something of someone. It's just all that initial people-pleaser energy stripped from us. He's wonderful. I don't have enough nice words to say about him.
Oh, that's so good to hear! With the character herself, how relatable was she to you? Was it relatively easy for you to transform into the character, or did you have some difficulties?
I think it was quite easy. Especially because I love doing American accents in general. When filming, sometimes I can get a bit self-conscious when it's my own voice weirdly because it feels way more like myself. With accents, it's like, you know, I'm acting obviously because that's what I want to be doing. So I think everything was easy to slip in and out. It's not like I needed to do too much. It's all on the page, and the writing was so wonderful. I found Sarah easy to flow into.
Would viewers who aren't familiar with the video game also enjoy it?
Yes, definitely! I think it's similar to when people watch and play the game for the first time, they love it! And it's that kind of familiarity that as soon as you see it, it's something that really draws people in. You don't need to know what it's about to enjoy it. If you go into it as if it's a brand-new show, it's the same experience, and you get to experience all the same emotions and everything that millions of people have before, but you get to do it in real-time.
Besides yourself, who do you think will blow people away in the production?
Pedro and Bella deliver very beautiful performances. Their chemistry is very evident from the beginning, and I think they are just wonderful together and lovely people, which is a real bonus. I haven't seen it, but I've heard that an episode with Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett is transcendent and incredible, which I'm very excited to see. I haven't seen it. I could watch it, but I want to save it and experience it with everyone. But yeah, everyone is amazing in it. Gabriel [Luna] is incredibly talented, and acting with him was wonderful. Anna Torv, I haven't seen any of it, but again, everyone raves about her. It's lovely because it's a cast where everyone is putting their all into it. I think it's evident.
Changing the topic slightly, I wanted to see how you're doing as a rising star in Hollywood. You're still quite young, so is it a lighthearted, fun ride at the moment, or do you feel particular worries cropping up a bit?
At the moment, this is a good patch. When things are coming out and when you've just filmed things, those time periods are the most enjoyable sections for me, at least. When I'm feeling lower is stagnant periods where it's like, "oh, why am I not working right now, and why is this person working and I'm not?" Then you start thinking of someone else's career and how successful they are, and it's like, "why is that not happening for me?" The industry is competitive, and it's strange to have that with people you then become friends with and are also competing with simultaneously. It's a really strange dynamic. As for experiences Hollywood-wise, I really can't complain. Since the age of eleven, I've been surrounded by wonderful people. But I think the difficult thing is your own subconscious, for me at least, rather than the circumstances and experiences I've been put in.
There's been a lot of heaviness surrounding the industry that has come to light in recent years, such as mistreatment, gender inequality and more. Have you experienced any of that?
No. Fingers crossed. People want you to speak out and speak up on set now. There's been a real push for that now. In everything I've worked on, it's been a thing of if you are uncomfortable, if you're not happy, if you don't like something, then there's a genuine want for you to be included, open and honest with your opinions. As a result of that and having that from such a young age, now it feels like second nature, so if I'm uncomfortable, I feel completely fine just saying so. I'm lucky that I've met amazing people who listen and say, "Oh okay, that's completely fine," and then change whatever. I'm aware that that's not always the case for other people. So yeah, so in that kind of circumstance, it's been very, very lovely.
We also have the world of social media these days, which lends itself to ruthless trolling and intense fandoms, amongst other things. How do you navigate social media, and do you feel safe in the online space?
I feel safe as of now. I'm in no way at a level of fame or attention where I would feel that negative attention. I think there's such a disconnect between celebrities, hate and trolling. I'm not saying it to look down upon all these things because I feel like even me, I could be looking at someone and have an opinion of them. In my brain, a celebrity doesn't even feel like a real human being to me. They are something for you to watch as entertainment, gawk at, and be shocked by the news of whatever is happening in their life.
But then I think when you are on the other side of it's like, "oh wow", because, with The Last of Us, there were many people angry at the casting and had overwhelming responses to it. It was also the first time where I've really been like, "oh my God, there are so many people who can have so many opinions of me". And I'm like, "I don't know any of you, and you don't know me at all".
But I also have opinions about random people I don't know. I definitely have less now, but when I was younger, it felt like you know these people from an interview or a magazine cover. It's so strange that you can be entitled to have an opinion of someone you just don't know. It's bizarre that many people care about you enough to genuinely take time out of their day to say something positive or negative about you.
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In recent months, social media has also given birth to the debate of nepotism in Hollywood. With your parents being Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker, how do you personally navigate that topic? Do you feel like people look at you differently and challenge your obvious talents because of who your parents are and your background?
I think with nepotism, it's important to note that there are two sides of it because there's one when you're being called all these things, and it feels like it's a tagline to discredit you from when you get an acting role, and it's just like, oh, "she only got that because of their parents". It has a negative connotation sometimes, and it isn't the loveliest thing to say. Then there's another version of it where it's incredibly important to comprehend and be entirely aware that with your parents being in the same industry as you, there's a real privilege that comes with that. I mean, I have said this before, but it gets you in the door a lot easier in terms of auditions and meetings.
What can be difficult to remember sometimes when you're in that position, and you're in the door, is to understand how many other people would dream of being in this room and getting that audition or speaking with this director or producer or anything. To have that in front of you and all of this opportunity, of course, you're going to take it. If that's something that you're interested in, of course, you'll lunge at the opportunity. Mainly, I think it's just treating the topic with sensitivity because I'm aware of who my parents are. I'm aware of how their wonderful careers have impacted me, and me being able to have a career, know the right people, and be in contact with the right people. So to have an overall awareness of where that's put me, I think, is my only approach. I also understand that I'm just very lucky and very grateful that I get to do this.
Do you feel pressure to carve your own path and have a different acting career from your mum? And is your mum supportive of your career?
My mum has a very enviable career for anyone. But I think it's more so that your name isn't for your entire life associated with your parents. Even then, it's not something that I dwell on. I'll have my career, I'll do my thing, and they do their thing. My parents are very supportive, though, and they're very helpful. In terms of giving me advice, I think an advantage of your parents being in the industry is when you grow up around movie and TV sets, you learn it all for yourself, and you start emulating their decorum. I'm lucky to have lovely parents, so I have seen how they treat others and how they expect to be treated on set, so you get to emulate that as you get older. In terms of actual wisdom that they have imparted to me, not much in terms of working. They're always there if I need them. So I think I can always ask.
That's so sweet! Other than your parents, is there anybody else you look up to in the industry? Any fan girl moments you've had yourself?
Oh my God, Zendaya followed me on Instagram! I mean, for any mixed-race kid, that's amazing. For an entire generation of young kids, when she was on Disney, I always thought, "wow, she's someone that kind of looks like me!" I wanted to be her so badly when she was on Shake it Up. I've never wanted to be anyone more. I also look up to Beyonce, I don't think I could meet her because I think I would faint. In terms of people that I've actually met... I met Meryl Streep, and I was like, okay, "you're never going to be anyone other than Meryl Streep to me". Same with Cher!
“I can relate to choosing to be silent at times when it feels pointless to speak”.
Circling back to The Last of Us, what do you hope viewers take away from this series?
Oh, I hope they take away so many things! For people who already know the existing material and those who don't, I hope they resonate with the relationships among the characters more so than anything. What is so wonderful about the show, which you don't have as much in the game, is that there's way more insight into all of the characters and why they are the way they are and why they act the way they act. So I think for viewers, I'd love for them to see a new side of these existing characters in a way they haven't seen before. That'd be a wonderful takeaway for them to enjoy.
The Last of Us is exclusively available from 16th January on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.
