Thandiwe Newton's Daughter Nico Parker Has Grown Up To Be As Gorgeous As Her Mother

HBO's "The Last of Us," based on an immensely popular video game of the same name, became a wildly popular TV series in early 2023. Much of the action of the post-apocalyptic show starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsay as Ellie centers around life 20 years after a fungal infection became a global pandemic and decimated society. But in Episode 1, we get to see the beginnings of that pandemic, starring Nico Parker as Pascal's daughter Sarah.

Parker is the daughter of actor Thandiwe Newton, who you might know best from her starring role as Sweetwater madame Maeve Millay on HBO's "Westworld." If Parker's short-lived but memorable time on "The Last of Us" is any indication, she's going to have an acting career to rival that of her mother. Parker has also grown up to be the near spitting image of her beautiful mother as evidenced by Parker's stunning look at "The Last of Us" premiere.

When 18-year-old Nico Parker walked the red carpet for the premiere of "The Last of Us" wearing a neon yellow chiffon, deep-V Valentino gown, she looked beautiful in her own right. But the family resemblance to her mother Thandiwe Newton was undeniable.

While it may seem obvious to people looking at Nico Parker and her mother, Parker has said that she doesn't really see it herself. In an interview in 2019 on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" for Parker's first film role in Tim Burton's "Dumbo," when Colbert said the two looked alike, Parker said: "I get told that a lot. I don't see it." While it would make sense that Parker sees herself as different from her mother, for the rest of us, we definitely see the resemblance — particularly in the cheekbones and the smile complete with dimples.

Touchingly, Parker revealed to Colbert that Newton gave her some posing advice for the red carpet. And considering how much they look alike (at least to us, anyway), what works for mom will probably work well for her daughter. And while Parker may not think she looks just like her mom, she definitely sees Newton as a role model.

Thandiwe Newton, who reclaimed the original spelling of her name in 2021, has talked about the importance of representation on-screen. "It's huge to see yourself [represented]; it's everything," Newton told Variety. "Otherwise you don't exist; otherwise you're invisible, and that isn't good for your soul." It's touching to see both mother and daughter helping to advance representation in Hollywood.

Newton isn't Parker's only parent in the industry. Her father Ol Parker is a director, producer, and screenwriter whose films include "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," "Ticket to Paradise," and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and its sequel.

And as such, Parker has thought about the topic of being a "nepo baby." For her, Parker told The Cut that she realized the privilege that she has, and others with prominent parents in entertainment have. She recognized that "Especially when you start, your parents know people, and you've known people since you were small, and they want to give you a chance because they like you. That is a reflection of your parents." But given how Parker has continued to act and thrive on her own as she's grown up, it seems like she's moved beyond getting work just due to who her parents are, and we can't wait to see what she does next.