Nico Parker is speaking out about social media reaction to the actress’ casting as Astrid in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon.
In an interview with British publication The Times, Parker was asked about online trolls grousing that the actress does not have blonde hair and blue eyes, as Astrid was initially depicted in the animated films that launched with 2010’s original How to Train Your Dragon. Universal Pictures releases the remake of the DreamWorks Animation hit movie in theaters Friday.
“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,” Parker said. “But for the people that just hate inclusivity, hate change — when it comes to that side of things, I just don’t care.”
The 20-year-old performer 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.”
A still showing Hiccup and Astrid riding Toothless in the 2010 animated film How to Train Your Dragon.
Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Parker, whose parents are actress Thandiwe Newton and filmmaker Ol Parker, went on to say that she believes Hollywood is making headway when it comes to onscreen representation.
“When I was younger, the amount of mixed race or Black icons, people that I would look to on screen to be like, ‘Oh, this feels like me,’ felt really minimal in comparison to what it could be for young people now, and I think that’s really special,” the actress said. “There’s still a long way to go — for women in general, in terms of new parts, original material and female-led stories. But I think that everything’s changing. I’d like to think that I could contribute to that change at some point.”
Writer-director Dean DeBlois‘ new How to Train Your Dragon features Mason Thames as Hiccup, who develops a friendship with dragon Toothless. America Ferrera voiced Astrid in the original animated trilogy that last hit screens with 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
During a press event earlier this year, DeBlois noted that Astrid “was a little underserved” in the original movie.
“Nico Parker plays Astrid, [and] that feeds into this idea that she has come from a different culture, that she is a descendant of one of those prized dragon-fighting warriors that were collected by Vikings in different places,” the filmmaker said at the time. “She hopes to be chief of this tribe one day. She’s got great ambition, and what’s nice about it is that it creates a conflict between she and Hiccup.”
