Parker Posey is enjoying another career moment, hosting the reality show “The Mob” while appearing alongside John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in the film “Wild Horse Nine”.
The actress, whose career has moved between independent cinema, television and larger studio films, said she was drawn to “Wild Horse Nine” despite having only two scenes.
“If I like something, it doesn’t matter if the part’s big or not, if it’s resonating for me as a whole,” Posey said. “It was like a play … as an actor, you enjoy the whole play.”
Parker Posey’s Southern roots
Posey was raised in Monroe, Louisiana, and Laurel, Mississippi, with her twin brother. Her mother, Lynda, was a chef, while her late father, Chris, owned a car dealership.
She has credited her family and Southern upbringing with helping shape her performances, including her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Victoria Ratliff, the pill-popping North Carolina matriarch in the third season of “The White Lotus”.
Posey said the character drew on “all the women in my family”, as well as people she had encountered while growing up. She recalled hearing a woman in a grocery shop ask for “ROH-maiiiiiine lettuce”, an accent she found instantly memorable.
During summers spent working at her father’s dealership, Posey entertained herself by imitating customers and making announcements over the loudspeaker.
“I was always imitating people and putting on accents,” she said. “And I’d say, ‘Good morning. Chris Posey Chevrolet Nissan. How may I help you? Mike Wally, you’re needed on line one. MIKE WALLY, LINE ONE!!!!!!’”
From “Party Girl” to the “Queen of the Indies”
Posey began performing seriously as a teenager after meeting her future acting colleague at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem in 1985, when both were 16.
While studying at the State University of New York in Purchase, she won the role of Tess Shelby in “As the World Turns”. She auditioned on a Monday and was filming by Wednesday, she recalled, describing the experience as working on “plastic rocks and AstroTurf” alongside established actors.
Her first major film lead came in “Party Girl” in 1995. Roles in “Clockwatchers” and “The Daytrippers” followed, leading to a 1997 Time magazine article calling her the “Queen of the Indies”.
Posey said such labels could be limiting. “When someone’s called a name, it’s not a great thing,” she said. “You’re labeled and you’re in some corner, right? And then you’re not that cool anymore.”
She continued to work with director Christopher Guest in films including “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show”, productions known for their improvised dialogue. She also appeared in “Dazed and Confused”, “You’ve Got Mail”, “Josie and the Pussycats” and “Scream 3”.
In recent years, Posey said she had been encouraged by younger audiences discovering her earlier work. “I have these 19- and 20-year-olds coming up, talking about ‘Party Girl’ or movies that their parents [watched],” she said. “And that feels so good.”
Looking back on her early training, Posey became emotional when reminded that one of her teachers had described her as better than she realised, destined to succeed and more beautiful than she knew.
“I loved my teachers,” she said. “So grateful I had that guidance. But also my family, I had that guidance, too. Like, I feel like my life has been such a path. It’s not been easy at all, but I have felt in the right place at the right time.”
