Ahead of the premiere of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon film, actress Nico Parker responds to criticism about her character, Astrid, by publicly criticizing the movie and countering the negative reactions from fans. This can be likened to Rachel Zegler’s approach in a similar situation.
In the original animated film, the character Astrid is a Viking with blonde hair and blue eyes. However, for the live-action adaptation, they’ve chosen Nico Parker, who has mixed heritage, to play Astrid. Consequently, they altered Astrid’s appearance in the remake to resemble Parker, changing her eye and hair color accordingly.
The fan backlash
Initially in November, when the early footage was unveiled featuring Nico Parker as Astrid, fans expressed their disappointment regarding the character’s racial change. It’s understandable why they felt this way since such alterations have been a common practice in Hollywood for quite some time now, often not contributing to a better story but rather catering to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda. One might question if Universal received DEI funding for How To Train Your Dragon?
That said, Nico Parker is blaming the fans, and she says she doesn’t care what they think.
DEI casting means it has injected DEI into the story too. Close your wallets.
— Rosary Warrior John F Trent 🇻🇦 (@jftrent) November 20, 2024
Parker Responds to Critics of Inclusivity and Her Role
“I just don’t care”
The 20-year-old actress recently spoke with The Times of London in a featured interview.
She mentioned, “Some folks truly adore animated films and eagerly anticipate a detailed retelling of those movies. I hope you’ll enjoy the new version, discovering aspects you cherish, regardless. However, for those who dislike inclusivity or change in general, when it comes to that aspect, I frankly don’t concern myself.
She added, “Since I place little importance on your views regarding many aspects of life, I can’t give much weight to your opinions about my hairstyle. If I did, I might become quite distressed.
Parker Reflects on Representation and Hopes to Drive Change
Parker was brought into the world in a family involved with filmmaking, since her father is movie director Ol Parker and her mother is actress Thandiwe Newton, known for her role in ‘Westworld.’ She mentioned that during her upbringing, there were few representations of mixed-race or Black icons in Hollywood. However, she finds it incredibly meaningful to witness the significant progress that has been made in this regard.
Parker stated that there’s a lot more ground to cover when it comes to women in general, particularly in terms of fresh ideas, unique content, and narratives driven by females. However, she believes things are shifting for the better. She hopes that one day, she might be able to help bring about this change.
On June 13th, the movie “How to Train Your Dragon” will debut. So far, critical responses have varied. The film is directed by Dean DeBlois. In the cast, you’ll find Mason Thames portraying Hiccup and Gerard Butler reprising his role as Chief Stoick.
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2025-06-10 07:31