Screams of laughter can be heard from down the hallway as Woman’s Day arrives at comedian Chris Parker’s inner-city Auckland apartment to chat with him and his little sister, Celebrity Treasure Island darling and Head Girl actress Liv.
One can only imagine the chaos their family had to endure when the two stars were growing up in Christchurch as Chris, 35, and Liv, 30, ham it up for our photoshoot, constantly laughing and finishing each other’s sentences – when they’re not talking over each other at breakneck speed.
It’s a far cry from our past shoots at Chris’ old flat in Kingsland, where Liv used to watch on as her sibling posed for photos. Now Liv is in the spotlight too and it’s obvious her doting big brother is beyond proud. Despite a six-year age gap, they’re super-close, says Chris.
“Livs and I have always been hanging out, even though I’m closer in age to my older sister Kate. When we were kids, Kate would be off doing girl stuff and our older brother Alex would be at sport. Livs and I would be in my room, and I’d be dressing her up as Pollyanna. We’d be off making movies and Mum wouldn’t see us all day.”
It would rarely spiral into tantrums or tears, “unless I was doing a rock ’n’ roll dance move with Liv and I’d drop her”, Chris adds guiltily.
“Or when you’d make me dress up in a particular costume and I wouldn’t want to wear it!” pouts Liv.
“Although you were like, ‘If you want to be an actor, you’re going to have to get used to wearing clothes you don’t like.’ You were right. It’s a lesson I’ve taken into my professional life.”
Growing up under Chris’s wing
Award-winning comedian Chris has always passed on career advice to Liv and was a massive inspiration for her as she was growing up.
He says, “Liv was put through industry boot camp by a 10- year-old boy who was living and breathing theatre. I look at Liv and I’m like, ‘You’re doomed because of how we grew up.’”
On their annual family holidays to Nelson, the Parker family would be treated to a performance from the two, written and directed by Chris, with Liv playing the lead.
“She was basically my muse,” laughs Chris.
“It would be a 20-minute play about a girl who gets stuck down a well.”
Liv watched enthralled as Chris took on lead roles at youth theatre, which inspired her to follow in her brother’s footsteps.
She recalls, “I watched Chris play Tom Thumb when I was six and I said, ‘I want to do that!’ The next year, I auditioned for Hansel And Gretel, and Chris gave me a pep talk beforehand.”
The family she built in Auckland
Liv eventually followed Chris to Auckland and moved into the flat he was sharing with his now-husband Micheal. When Chris’ career started to take off and he began touring overseas, Liv and Micheal’s own bond was cemented.
“All you could ever want is your husband and sister to be best friends,” Chris smiles.
Although he and Micheal have their own place now, Liv still spends a fair amount of time at their apartment dog-sitting the couple’s four-year-old rescue pup Margot Darling.
“We’re both two anxious girlies,” Liv grins.
“Sometimes I carry her around like a baby, even though Margot’s technically a woman in her forties!”
Chris can’t wait for Liv’s talent to be appreciated when her new TV show Head Girl hits our screens this week.
He says, “It’s so cool to see someone you’ve always been rooting for jump higher than you ever thought they would.”
Carving her own path
Liv captured our hearts on the latest season of Celebrity Treasure Island, after Chris won the show in 2021. With them both working on stage and screen, they certainly invite comparison, but Chris’ unwavering encouragement has meant his sister has never felt any competition.
Liv muses, “This country loves Chris and what he does, so it can be a bit intimidating to be like, ‘I’m Liv and I’m someone else.’ I want to be my own person and bring my own flavour, without disappointing anyone, but it’s never a comparison for us.”
Chris continues, “I want to give her advice and help shape her career, but it’s up to Liv to determine her own path. The more I back away and watch her, the more I’m delighted by what she does.”
Chris is back on our TV screens too, appearing in Celebrity Escape, where Kiwi and Aussie comedians navigate escape rooms. He was “genuinely starstruck” meeting host Rove McManus, and loved working with fellow funny folk, like Hayley Sproull, Josh Thomson and Abby Howells.
He’s also excited for another nationwide tour later in the year. In the meantime, the avid crafter is going to teach his sister how to knit.
Liv says, “He’ll give me the tools and I’ll find a good YouTube vid to follow.”
Chris laughs, “You’ve got your own way of doing it, eh?” Which seems like a pretty good metaphor for these two.
Head Girl premieres 9.30pm Wednesday, while Celebrity Escape screens 7.30pm Tuesdays, both on Three and streaming on ThreeNow.
Chris’ show Take A Good Hard Look At Me tours the country from September. For tickets, visit chrisparkercomedy.com.
