Nice Boy of the Week: Parker Young

Parker Young is our Nice Boy this week. I had a chance to speak to him and I managed to talk about his abs for only about four minutes, which if you’ve seen him you know is pretty impressive.

Nice Girls: So Suburgatory, I am so glad you guys got a season two.
Parker: I am equally as glad, probably mildly more excited about it.

Nice Girls: It probably does affect you a little more than it affects me.
Parker: Yeah, yeah…I’m in my trailer right now having this lovely conversation and if we didn’t have a season two I’d just be you know sitting on my couch watching something else. [laughs]

Nice Girls: Ryan has got to be one of the best parts to play, that has to be fun.
Parker: It is, it is just so much fun. Ah, you know, what’s fun about it is it’s a character that kinda doesn’t have a filter, just does what he wants, says what is on his mind and is really in touch with his feelings in an almost primal way. As an actor it’s fun because if I do have an impulse I can just act on it, just kinda do what I feel he would do.

Nice Girls: To be one of the funniest people on screen when your parents are played by Chris Parnell and Ana Gasteyer, that’s saying something.
Parker: Thank you, they are truly funny.

Nice Girls: Last season ended up having a lot to do with your character even though it was indirectly. Now that it was revealed it was your character who was adopted are you going to be in more episodes?
Parker: Yeah, you know, yeah. Last season ended with kind of a bunch of story lines coming up for Ryan and uh and we pick right back up with that and there is a lot more Ryan in this season. Significantly more which is great, ya know. Knock on wood. It’s been great.

Nice Girls: And there are a lot of Ryan and Tessa fans out there. I see a lot of posts about people wanting them together. Do you have more upcoming scenes together.
Parker: We do. With somebody like Ryan that is so driven by his feelings and really pursues what he wants, it would be hard for him not to pursue her.
Nice Girls: It’s a great opposites attract relationship. She is bookish, advanced classes and he is the fun dumb jock.
Parker: It is absolutely opposites attract and I think that sort of is what initially, what attracted her to him. She is really different, not like the typical girl in school or in town and there is something really exciting about her. And I think that is why she is a little hesitant because it’s not what she is used to, but one thing we do have in common is the fact that she didn’t grow up with her biological Mother and neither did I, which is a pretty big thing. When I do find out I think she will be the right person to talk to.

Nice Girls: Last year you guys did a great Mother’s Day themed episode do you have more holiday themed episodes this season?
Parker: We kick the season off with some interesting costumes. I think there are some pictures floating around of the Shay’s in sort of cat costume get ups and so it kinda starts out with a bit of the ridiculous tights. We also dress up for Halloween. Shortly thereafter we have Thanksgiving. We don’t dress up for Thanksgiving but someone on the show gets naked and it’s pretty funny.

Nice Girls: I’m glad you said naked because we have to talk about your abs.
Parker: uh oh
Nice Girls: You have your shirt off on the show A LOT. That has got to be hard to maintain, I mean my word.
Parker: Yeah they kinda surprised me with that, “Ryan Shay rips his shirt off. Abs of steel.” I do okay this season, my shirt does come off, definitely but uh it hasn’t been too ridiculous or unnecessary offness. When it happens it was time. [laughs]

Nice Girls: I also read that you do triathlons
Parker: I do one of my first scenes last year was this carwash scene where I was shirtless dancing around and our sound mixer does Iron Man and triathlons. He thought I was in decent shape so he convinced me to do one. I’ve done a few now.
Nice Girls: Are we going to see you do the Iron Man?
Parker: Man…I don’t know that’s pretty crazy.
Nice Girls: I like watching that while sitting on the couch eating ice cream because I don’t know what it is, they are killing themselves and I am sitting on my comfortable couch.
Parker: I know, it’s just crazy. I’m pretty competitive and right now,I’d have a hard time doing it right now. My goal right now would be just to complete it and I don’t want to just complete it. I’ll stick to eating ice cream on the couch.
Nice Girls: I’m telling you, that’s the way to do it. They are on TV crying over their broken bike wheel…
Parker: And your biggest worry is your broken plastic spoon. [laughs]
Nice Girls: That’s what I’m saying. Thank you so much for chatting with me.
Parker: My pleasure.

Parker can be seen playing Ryan Shay on Suburgatory Wednesday 9:30/8:30c on ABC