Nathaniel Parker: He's just an ordinary man

Olivier Award-winning British actor Nathaniel Parker has built a distinguished career across theatre, film and television, from the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman to Wolf Hall and the long-running BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. In this conversation, Nathaniel reflects on the experiences that have shaped him as an actor, the lessons he has continued to learn throughout his career, and the mixture of instinct, craft and confidence that allows a performance to come alive. He is in Australia for a significant new challenge – playing Professor Henry Higgins in Opera Australia’s 70th anniversary production of My Fair Lady, his first ever musical.

 He recalls discovering his love of performance as a child, training at LAMDA and joining the RSC at the beginning of his professional life. He shares vivid memories of working with Dustin Hoffman, reflects on the transition from stage to television, and speaks with striking candour about the stage fright that kept him largely away from theatre for two decades. He also explains how returning to the stage in Wolf Hall, and the trust placed in him by director Jeremy Herrin, transformed his approach to acting and helped lead to his Olivier Award-winning performance as Henry VIII.

Nat discusses finding his own interpretation of Henry Higgins for a modern audience, the advice he has received from Julie Andrews, his continuing passion for Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard and T.S. Eliot, and the roles he still hopes to play. With disarming humour and openness, he reflects on family, music, poetry and the enduring excitement of good writing.

Nathaniel Parker stars as Professor Henry Higgins in Opera Australia’s My Fair Lady at the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House from 10 September, before the production heads to Melbourne in November.