Meet Andrea-Rachel Parker: Dancer, Vegan, and Destiny from 'Power'
Originally written for and published by PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT
Sep 14, 2017
With back-to-back roles as Destiny on Power, where she plays Tariq's (Michael Rainey Jr.) girlfriend, and as Bernice on HBO's The Deuce, which premiered last Sunday, Andrea-Rachel Parker maintains the attention of TV Execs and fans alike. The Brooklyn native has appeared on Broadway and has starred in independent lms including Ugly and 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story. Before she pursued a career as an actress, Parker was a Dance major at the Brooklyn High School of the Arts, went on to be a choreographer, and even danced for artists like Jennifer Hudson.
We got the opportunity to chat with the talented actress about her TV roles and journey from dancer to actress. Check it out:
1. For our readers who aren’t familiar with Power, can you tell us a little bit about your character Destiny and her role on the show?
Destiny is a young girl, probably a little bit older than Tariq, who is hanging around a more mature crowd who can be a little bit malicious. We see that Destiny has been forced to mature faster because of that. My character has become the love interest to Tariq’s character and later on towards the end of the season you see what else she becomes to the show.
2. What has your experience been working on the set of Power" and how have you grown as an actress since joining the show?
I did my rst episode in 2016, around October, and then I had a long break from then until 2017. So for me, I just really got to digest what had already happened with my character. I got more comfortable with being on set. In the beginning, you don’t know what to expect, you don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you, and then often times you shoot everything back to back to back so you don’t ever really get to digest it after it happens. For me, I was able to [lm] in increments where I was able to digest everything as I was going along. For the last scene the fans and audience can see me in, they’ll see more of a depth there as far as who [my character] is and her intentions. As far as overall in my acting style, I like deep-rooted stories. I like the fact that I’m able to play real characters that people can relate to.
3. In your interview with Little Miss Entertainment, you talked about your auditioning process for Power and how you thought you weren’t going to be conventionally beautiful enough for the show or that particular character, but you ultimately got it. What has acting or the arts in general taught you about self-love and confidence?
I think the idea of having to love your character despite the decisions the character makes, despite whether you would necessarily do it in real life, despite whether you agree with the intentions behind it or whether you agree with the situation as a whole, it teaches us how to love villains. It teaches us how to love real people. Not just with this character, not just with this audition process, not just with this show, but in every character in every show, in every situation, I’m always digging to nd the acceptance of every decision and the understanding of every situation and every intention. And, for me, having that peace of mind to say “Okay, I understand,” even if it’s not something I would necessarily do myself, it allows me to step beyond who I am as Andrea and it allows me to identify with the human component of the character.
4. You grew up as a dancer, how has your experience with dancing translated into your acting career?
When you’re a dancer, you’re open. You communicate with body language, you communicate with facial expressions, and so you become vulnerable because you have to simulate feelings, you have to show desires and wants. You’re desperate for your story to be told and for the audience to understand that you give it your all with your body but it’s limiting because you don’t use words. In acting, there are times when you might not have to say anything at all, someone can see it on your face or in the way you sat down or walked away. Dance isn’t just in music and choreography, dance is an everyday thing…it’s a lifestyle. I went into acting because it allowed me to tell stories in a broader range but dance is home. It’s my way of telling my story when I can’t nd the words.
5. You just mentioned that storytelling is what lead you to pursue acting, but can you explain what exactly lead you to pursue it as a career a little more?
I grew up in the arts, I was doing dance and that has always a hobby of mine. In junior high school, I did drama because I was a transfer student and all the dance classes were full. From junior high school, I always had a love for acting but I was never told that it could be a viable career so I never pursued it. In high school, I stayed in the arts but when I went to college I was full-edged in pre-med. I was completely like “This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” and then my [school’s] chemistry department just tanked and I started to feel really unhappy. As I was in this phase of my life I saw friends from back home on TV, doing commercials, on stage behind artists, and I grew up with these people, I trained with these people…how come I didn’t know I could do this? I started calling people like how do I get into this? I had already started auditioning before I left, but it just didn’t work out and I had people in my family telling me it wasn’t a real career so I didn’t look at it like that; but when I saw my friends doing it on their own and they seemed like they gured it out I thought, “Well if they can gure it out, I can gure it out.” It inspired me to take a handle on what I loved to do because I love medicine, but when I was honest with myself I realized I didn’t want to be in a lab coat going to a hospital every single day for the rest of my life.
6. What advice would you give to someone who is afraid to pursue their passions for those same reasons?
Figure out what exactly it is you’re afraid of. What is the actual thing that’s making you afraid? Is it because you feel that you’re not good enough? If that’s the question, you need to gure out why you feel that you aren’t good enough. Is it because there’s someone or a group of people who are telling you that you aren’t going to be able to do it? Then you need to gure out why their opinion is so valuable in your life. Is it because you don’t want to do it alone and the particular person you would want to go on this journey with is not going to be able to go with you? Then you have to nd the belief and the self-esteem to understand if it’s meant for you, you’re going to figure it out regardless of who is on the path with you. Once you get to a place of understanding what exactly you’re afraid of and why exactly you’re afraid of it then you get to think “I can stop being afraid,” and you’ll run out of excuses and start saying “Why not?”
7. You most recently secured a role on The Deuce as Bernice, what lead to you landing that role?
In the place that I was at that time, I was meditating. I'm someone that really believes in putting good energy out into the atmosphere, and I don't always do it consistently, but I come to points in my life where I really feel the need to do it. I can't necessarily say it's what caused [me to land the role], but I do personally believe it had a great effect. Nothing was forced...it was what it was. I was so thankful for the experience that day and low and behold I got it.
8. Can you give us any information about what we can expect from your character or the show in general?
It gets REAL. She's accidentally messy, I'll say that. I think people are either going to be really irritated with her or really compassionate towards her.
9. Going on somewhat of a different track, your Instagram bio says you're a vegan. What are your favorite go-to meals or snacks for a typical workday?
On set, I like to start off with iced coffee and then I'll do a smoothie. Throughout the day, they don't normally feed us so I'll eat some type of vegan sandwich with hummus on it. If we're talking everyday... my favorite thing to do is have a seasoned rice cake with cashew cheese, guacamole, and a substitute meat. I'll chow down on four of those. That's love. That's LIFE. I'm also a very big smoothie person. I'll have a smoothie or two a day. My go-to recipe is hemp milk, two bananas, maybe some days a whole apple, two handfuls of spinach, blueberries, and ice. It sounds like a lot but it’s super quick.
10. What does PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT mean to you?
I think it means even when you're in your most raw, vulnerable, uncomfortable state you’re still freaking beautiful and you still freaking rock.
Connect with Andrea-Rachel:
Instagram: @IAmAndreaRachel
Twitter: @Andii_Rae
