Making Her Own Way

Actress Nico Parker is shining by embracing her individuality.

- Nerisha Penrose

Legacy has always been the guiding thread in Nico Parker's journey, on and off the screen. As the daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker, she's been primed for the spotlight since birth, but has still forged her own path. At just 19, she's put a new spin on favorite stories as a standout in Tim Burton's Dumbo (2019) and HBO's hit series The Last of Us (2023). Soon to come are two more exciting roles in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and a live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon. Now she takes on a new part not found in a script: Lancôme ambassador.

Some of her first memories, as a doe-eyed young girl curious about the world of beauty, involve watching her mom do her makeup (or have her makeup done). Parker would perch on a small sofa in her mother's bathroom, enticed by the quiet magic of the transformation taking place in the mirror. "I would beg her to put whatever she was putting on her face on me," Parker says.