Thandiwe Newton's Teenage Daughter Is Her Mom's Twin
British actor Thandiwe Newton, formerly Thandie, has had a long, successful career in Hollywood, winning an Emmy for her work in the HBO series "Westworld" and starring in major motion pictures including "Interview with the Vampire" and "Mission: Impossible II." But sorry, Tom Cruise — Newton's favorite role is that of mom.
In 2009, Newton gushed about her children to Independent.ie, saying, "I cannot believe how much I love them." At the time, she was just mom to daughters Ripley Parker and Nico Parker, but her son Booker Parker arrived in 2014. From a young age, the kids were exposed to the entertainment industry through both parents; their father, Ol Parker, is a filmmaker who wrote and directed the movie musical "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again." However, in 2019, Nico told W magazine that she didn't dream of following in her parents' footsteps growing up. Instead, she hoped to someday serve cappuccinos and croissants to the bleary-eyed public at a café. "There was this film I watched all the time when I was 6 or 7, 'Barbie: Princess Charm School,' and that's what she did, and it just looked so fun," Nico explained.
Nico told ET that she also considered dancing as a career option, which is actually a dream her mother once had as well. But Nico ultimately ended up getting bitten by the acting bug, and every time she hits the red carpet with her mom, people just can't get over their uncanny resemblance.
How Nico Parker feels about being compared to her mom
In an interview with Blackfilm.com, Nico Parker recalled that the opportunity to audition for the live-action remake of the Disney animated classic "Dumbo" came via her mother's agent, but it was her dad who helped her film her audition tape. Parker told The Hollywood Reporter that a toy polar bear played the role of "Dumbo" for her performance in her family's kitchen. "The fact that [the tape is] out there, that someone has it on, like, a computer somewhere, is horrifying," she said.
But at 12 years old, that tape helped her land her first movie role, and when it came time to promote "Dumbo," her proud mom accompanied her to the Hollywood and London premieres. Photos of the two side-by-side inspired scores of headlines about Parker being Thandiwe Newton's "twin" or "mini-me." But when Parker was asked about the comparisons, she told "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, "I don't see it." She does, however, look up to her mom, who gave her some helpful advice on how to pose for the cameras on the red carpet. While watching Newton in action, Parker observed that her mom possesses a special talent. "She's just like a salamander," said Parker. "She just doesn't blink at all."
While Parker might not see the mother-daughter resemblance, Newton does. She told Extra, "I look in the mirror and I realize I look a bit like my children, and that makes me love myself."
Nico Parker followed her mother to HBO
After she starred in "Dumbo," Nico Parker's career made like a baby elephant with giant ears by continuing to soar — and Thandiwe Newton was more than happy to be the wind beneath her unique wings.
In an interview with Variety, Parker revealed that she was able to meet up with her supportive mom regularly for lunch while she was working on "Dumbo" because Newton was filming "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on the same studio lot at the same time. The mother and daughter got to work even closer together when they were both cast in the sci-fi film "Reminiscence," which premiered on HBO Max in 2021. "It was like passing the torch on," Newton told Net-a-Porter of the experience.
By the time she and her daughter became castmates, Newton had been a member of the HBO family for a few years, thanks to her role in "Westworld," and Parker soon scored a part in her own HBO series. In June 2021, Deadline reported that she would play the daughter of Pedro Pascal's character in "The Last of Us," which is based on the successful video game of the same name. Newton reacted to the news on Instagram by expressing her pride in her daughter: "Since she started acting, I've had a new role — as body guard, mascot and jester, for her on press shoots," she wrote in part. "It's been pure pleasure, and a giant privilege."