Nico Parker is paying no mind to those who are upset about her casting in the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon.”
In a recent interview with The Times of London, Parker addressed the online backlash surrounding her casting as the young dragon butt kicker Astrid. Some were upset that Parker doesn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes like the character in the original animated “How to Train Your Dragon.” However, the 20-year-old British actress explained that she does not let those comments get to her head.
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“There’s some people that really love the animated movies and really want to see an exact play-by-play of that film, and I hope that you can watch [the new version] and find something that you love about it, regardless,” she said. “But for the people that just hate inclusivity, hate change — when it comes to that side of things, I just don’t care.”
She continued, “If I wouldn’t value your opinion on most things in life, I can’t value your opinion on my hair. If I did, I would go mad.”
Parker comes from a family of filmmakers. Her father is director Ol Parker and her mother is actress Thandiwe Newton. She added that when she was younger, the representation in Hollywood of “mixed race or Black icons” was “really minimal,” but thinks it’s “really special” to see how far the industry has come.
“There’s still a long way to go — for women in general, in terms of new parts, original material and female-led stories,” Parker added. “But I think that everything’s changing. I’d like to think that I could contribute to that change at some point.”
The original “How to Train Your Dragon,” loosely adapted from the 2003 children’s book by Cressida Cowell, was released in 2010 and went on to gross a massive $495 million worldwide. Leading cast members included Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler and America Ferrera.
In his review for the new live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” which hits theaters June 13, Variety film critic Peter Debruge praised Parker’s performance, writing, “The swaggering Astrid was always the film’s most self-reliant character, and in Parker’s hands, the romance between her and Hiccup takes on Clark Kent-Lois Lane vibes, especially when the two hit the skies.”
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