Meet Parker Weldon

We recently connected with Parker Weldon and have shared our conversation below.

Parker, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

This is going to sound cliché, and honestly, probably a little annoying, but I’ve just always known that acting was for me. I never had any sort of grand revelation or a life-altering turning point; I’ve always been drawn to telling stories, and it’s so natural to me to immediately try to find pieces of myself inside them. As early as I can remember, I was making home videos, writing skits and putting on “productions” for anyone who would watch – and even if they didn’t want to, I would make them anyways (shout out to my first co-star and sister, Zoe).

I always joke that it’s a blessing and a curse to know right off the bat what you’re meant to do in life, especially when that thing is acting. There’s this phrase actors like to say: You do this because you can’t do anything else. And the more I throw myself into this, the more I find that to be true. It’s not about a lack of other skills. It’s that nothing else satisfies your soul in the same way. Acting demands everything. Your vulnerability, your resilience, your ability to authentically be yourself through the lens of someone else. It’s choosing an unpredictable path, turning away from the comfort and safety of a traditional career path, and deciding to keep going even when it would be easier not to. Since January, I’ve sent out over 45 auditions and booked four projects. That kind of ratio would be considered a failure in almost any other field. But here, it’s normal. Here, we expect rejection, and we keep showing up anyway. That’s part of the purpose too, learning to stay open in the face of constant no’s.

And still, I love it. I choose it every day. I fight for it every day. Because for me, there’s nothing else.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Growing up in Los Angeles, you’d think film would’ve been my gateway into acting, and yes, it kind of was, thanks to an embarrassing number of home videos, but really, it was theatre that first pulled me in. I remember this neighborhood playhouse not far from where I lived, and I was obsessed with the idea of being in a production there. I had shown up to auditions before but had been too nervous to even get on stage, and then one day I saw a local ad for a children’s musical. I remember being terrified but also weirdly drawn to the idea of this audition and production, and then somehow, there I was, already envisioning myself in it. So with some gentle nudging (okay, pushing) from my parents, I found the courage to walk into that audition, hands shaking, but I booked it. That moment changed everything.

Since then, I’ve chased the work wherever it lives: on stage, on set, in the classroom. I threw myself into plays all through high school, and ironically, it wasn’t until I left L.A. to study at Columbia College Chicago that I really discovered the film world. I earned my B.A. in Theatre there and soaked up everything I could: Shakespeare and Ibsen, the Lecoq technique and Feldenkrais, accents, dialects, movement work, and more! I fell in love with process, with transformation, and with building characters from the inside out.

These days, I’m back in L.A. and working as much as I can. I just finished performing in a 72-hour play festival at The Actors Group in Burbank. It was intense, chaotic, and completely exhilarating. I went straight from that into a short film, and then another, and then I went right back into class. Into process. Acting is one of those rare careers where you’re never done growing. If I’m not on set or on stage, I want to be in a space where I’m still learning, still pushing myself.

At the core of what I do is a love for stories that feel alive: messy and funny and painful and real. Whether I’m performing or developing something of my own, I want to be part of work that moves people, challenges people, and ultimately reminds us of ourselves. That’s the kind of storytelling I’m chasing. That’s my brand.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

There’s so much of it that I’m still learning myself, but in my journey so far, I think it’s been the most about embracing mistakes, pushing myself to grow, and learning how to take up space.

1. Make mistakes, tons of them. Honestly, the best thing you can do is give yourself permission to mess up. Over and over again. If you can learn from your mistakes, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Get rid of the idea that perfection is the goal, because it’s not. Truth is. And truth can be messy. But that’s where the gold is.

2. Work constantly. Refine constantly. Grow constantly. Acting is a craft, it deserves the same level of dedication as any other art or discipline. Gather as many tools as you can, through classes, coaching, reading plays, studying the greats, and if your toolbox is starting to feel full, build a bigger one. There is always more to learn.

3. Take up space. Don’t shrink yourself down to make others comfortable. Be loud. Be bold. Be unapologetically yourself in every room you walk into. There is no one else who can do exactly what you do, the way you do it. That’s your power. Own it.

Advice for anyone starting out? Don’t wait for someone to give you permission. Start now. Make your own work, find your people, and allow yourself to be in process. And if this is what you want – keep fighting for it. Especially on the days when it feels hard. Those are the ones that count the most.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Acting.

Taking risks.

Making mistakes.

Being loud.

Fighting for what I want and who I want to be.

Being authentically and unapologetically myself (in the constant pursuit of greatness).

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkersparkle/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parker-weldon-383345255/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9752451/?ref_=mv_close