Nico Parker addresses ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ casting backlash

Nico Parker isn’t giving those upset about her casting in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon any mind.

In a recent interview with The Times of London, Parker, 20, addressed the online backlash surrounding her casting as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup’s spunky love interest and renowned dragon hunter. The character, who was originally voiced by America Ferrera, has blonde hair and blue eyes in the animated trilogy, which is noticeably different from Parker’s appearance.

But The Last of Us star, who is the daughter of Thandiwe Newton and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again director Ol Parker, told the outlet that she doesn’t care for the opinions of those who “just hate inclusivity.”

“There’s some people that really love the animated movies and really want to see an exact play-by-play of that film, and I hope that you can watch [the new version] and find something that you love about it, regardless,” she said. “But for the people that just hate inclusivity, hate change — when it comes to that side of things, I just don’t care.”

She added, “If I wouldn’t value your opinion on most things in life, I can’t value your opinion on my hair. If I did, I would go mad.”

Parker noted that she believes Hollywood is making progress towards genuine equity when it comes to inclusive representation behind and in front of the camera, although there’s “still a long way to go.”

“When I was younger, the amount of mixed race or Black icons, people that I would look to on screen to be like, ‘Oh, this feels like me,’ felt really minimal in comparison to what it could be for young people now, and I think that’s really special,” she continued. “There’s still a long way to go — for women in general, in terms of new parts, original material and female-led stories. But I think that everything’s changing. I’d like to think that I could contribute to that change at some point.”

Like the beloved original animated trilogy, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup (Mason Thames), the inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, who defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

The film also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), BAFTA nominee Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).

The film’s director, writer, and producer Dean DeBlois co-directed and co-wrote the original 2010 animated film with Chris Sanders before helming and writing the 2014 and 2019 sequels solo. Each of the films in the series was Oscar-nominated in Best Animated Feature, and grossed an eye-popping $1.6 billion at the global box office.

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DeBlois previously spoke out against the online reaction to Parker’s casting. In November 2024, the filmmaker made an Instagram post that showed a screenshot of a comment he made on a HTTYD related Instagram page asking if fans were going to hate Ferrera for also not looking like the character she voiced.

In his response, DeBlois wrote, “Exactly. We auditioned many actors for the roles, including actors who looked like their animated counterparts. But we chose the actors who best embodied the spirit and personality of the characters, since the tribe in this version is made up of descendants of the finest dragon fighters from everywhere the Vikings had ever traveled (which historically was far and wide – Vikings mixed with many cultures).”

He pointed out that the film is “a fantasy, not historical fact.” And continued, “We’re not making a shot for shot remake. We just struck close to key moments to honor the original – which I remain very proud of. The tease features a few of those moments. Instead of a completely new tale, we aimed to embellish and deepen, without abandoning the story that fans love.”

In his post caption, DeBlois wrote, “This needs to be seen. Also… Nico Parker is AMAZING❤️Just wait and see❤️🐉”

How to Train Your Dragon flies into theaters June 13.