LOS ANGELES — It all started back in sixth grade in Harlingen. Parker Coppins played a quack doctor on the stage. A few funny lines had the audience roaring with laughter and Parker was hooked — forever.
His smile, laugh and personality say it all — along with his many voices and silly nature, all of which are highlighted on a new Disney XD channel show called Parker Plays.
Aimed at teenagers, Parker uses his gaming skills and goofiness to entertain on his new show, which premiered earlier this month and is on four days per week.
But, Parker is quick to point out it is a team effort.
“We are able, with Disney’s help, to create these epic skits that are essentially just a couple of guys spit-balling for a while,” he said. “At one point, we have a choreographed, uncut samurai battle between myself and the crew of the show. It’s tremendous.”
However, anytime he appears on camera, it is obvious Parker has “it” and steals the show and he is “great on his feet.”
But, he also has goals other than what he is doing now.
“Stick a camera in front of me with a prop in my hand and I’ll give it everything that I have, but I definitely would like to work on acting itself,” he said. “It’s hard to tap into the emotional side of yourself that feels authentic to an audience. It’s a hard balance as well because you want the emotion to look real, but humans are fragile.”
A resident of Harlingen since the age of 4, Parker attended Calvary Christian School and Harlingen High School. He participated in plays at Calvary with Dr. Leibert, a local physician being his mentor and inspiration.
At age 16, Parker spent eight months in Los Angeles where he had a supporting actor role in a Lifetime movie and a few commercials.
He returned to Harlingen for some time, but is now back in L.A. where he is following his dreams with his own show.
“I am certainly surprised by my success,” he said. “To be fair, getting to this point doesn’t come without hundreds of sleepless nights, but it also comes with a tremendous amount of people who push you and believe in what you are trying to do.”
