And what about your dad, director Ol Parker?
Both he and my mom always taught me to remember you are not the most important person on set. It was always just, “You’re all working on the exact same thing. You all have the same goal at the end of it.” And also, “It wouldn’t be happening without everyone there.” I think sometimes you can get wrapped up in the flashy aspect of being an actor, but when it actually comes down to it, you are on the exact same plain as everyone that you’re working with. You’re all co-workers.
I love your name, by the way. What’s the story behind it?
Thank you. I’m not named after, but instead inspired by, Nico the German singer, as in the Velvet Underground Nico. I think my parents couldn’t think of a name for me, but then my mom came up with Nico and my dad was like, “Oh, she’s got to be cool if she’s going to pull off that name.” My mom was like, “Yeah, she will be.” Now for the rest of my life, I’m desperately attempting to live up to that conversation and match [the coolness of] that name.
Of all the sets that you have been on since you were a kid, is there anybody your parents have worked with that you’re dying to work with now?
My dad worked with Meryl. I don’t know if I want to work with Meryl out of sheer stress, but I would love to in the sense of it’s Meryl Streep. Anthony Hopkins I think would be pretty sick. Mom worked with him. He’s very lovely, very, very nice. They’ve both worked with some really incredible people that it is a bit difficult to come up with one, but those two would be pretty dreamy.
I think you could more than hold your own with Meryl Streep. I mean… hello, look what you did with Laura Linney.
I don’t even know if I did that, but I would attempt. I would give it my best shot, I would try my hardest.
Ok, final question: What’s something in pop culture that your generation loves, but you haven’t been able to get on board with?
There’s two. It’s an English reality TV show called The Traitors. I just haven’t been able to fully immerse myself into it yet. Harry Trevaldwyn and Bronwyn James, who are in How to Train Your Dragon with me, have both been feverishly recommending The Traitors. I’ve started watching it and I’m trying, but I’m just not getting into it yet. Still, I’m going to persevere.
And the other one is the Real Housewives of New York. I haven’t been able to really get into it and I need to because I know that once I start I’ll never stop. And I love Housewives. It’s the New York one that I haven’t been able to get into…yet.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the NYT best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.
