Max Parker joins my Zoom call on a cool spring day in May. It’s the morning hour, and there is a softness to the sunlight that breaks through his living room window, one that matches the thoughtful cadence of his voice. He’s at the beginning of his press junket for his debut feature film, Juliet and Romeo. Although the energy around the film is already buzzing, he remains grounded, still in a reflective state, with the thought, ‘I can’t believe this is real.’ 

In Juliet and Romeo, a vibrant, pop musical experience that reimagines Shakespeare’s most famous play, Parker takes on the role of Benvolio. Traditionally played as the peacemaker and voice of reason, he delivers agency to the role, emphasizing Benvolio’s impossible dilemma, drowning in an ocean of contradictory emotions. Born and raised in the Six, Parker is a rarity- yes, a true Torontonian who has had dreams of being an entertainer since he first saw Mama Mia. “I remember watching it with my mom and sister when I was younger. When it ended, I had this feeling in my gut that said I wanna do something like this, whether it’s a musical artist or an entertainer of some sort.”

Now, with his first film wrapped, he reflects on stepping into the world of cinema, something he feels was an act of stars aligning for him, an energetic prophecy that I had to agree with. Parker booked the role only months after finding his agent, while he was still in university studying dramatic arts. Encouraged by his professors and family to take the role, Parker departed his homeland for Italy to begin production. Though he left a newcomer, the learning curve only sharpened his instincts. “I remember being nervous on my first day, my heart was pounding as I walked to set for the first time. I got thrown into it like everyone else.” He laughs, “I was a little bit impatient at first because I didn’t really know how it all functioned. No one tells you this, but 75% of acting is waiting– that’s really the truth. The camera is rarely rolling, you’re getting 1 to 2 minute takes if you’re doing a full scene, and you need to be able to transition if you’re in a new scene or doing something else.”

Courtesy of Felice Trinidad

Coming from a background in theatre, Parker admits the scale and rhythm of a film set was initially hard to adapt to. The first three weeks of training for the actor were a whirlwind, focused on stunt training, dance choreography and horse riding. “It was insane!” he tells me with an edge of excitement, “I flew in, had one night off, and the next day they put me on a horse. That was it, here we go, I thought. Once I got good at the less complicated horses, I was upgraded.” He laughs, “Because some co-operated better than others.”  Finding his groove with the horses proved to be quick and exciting; it was the choreography, Parker found himself challenged with. “It was very intimate. I took breakdancing and hip-hop lessons when I was younger, but it had been a minute since I really danced. You’re dancing with these professionals who know how to move their bodies – I felt the need to be cautious at first because of the closeness, but they were so professional and made me feel relaxed in that intimacy required for the role. And that really helped my performance as Benvolio.”

On his first day, like all new employees at their job, he couldn’t shake those jitters. The first scene that he filmed with the cast was a fight scene in Verona. During his stunt training, Parker learned how to throw fake punches, but the scene they filmed was worked out in real time, giving him his first lesson on transitioning from theatre to screen. “I remember being so insecure about the way I was fighting because it wasn’t practiced. When Tim called ‘cut’ for the first time, as a theatre kid, I was used to the clapping and the reaction, and there was none of that.” He explains, “Crew just walked, make-up came to me, and I remember feeling like I was in a void- did I do a good job? What is happening, I thought. But both Jamie Ward (Romeo) and Tim Scott Bogart (Director) explained to me that if ‘cut’ is yelled and there are no notes for you, it most likely means Tim got what he needed. It took some time for me to get used to that.”

Filmed entirely in Italy, Juliet and Romeo is a visual mosaic elevated through its intimate and romantic locations. Blending Verona, the birthplace of Shakespeare’s classic tale, with Rome and the architecturally stunning towns of Castell’Arquato and Torrechiara, Parma, the set felt like a character of its own.“It was such a fairytale experience. We were filming in real castles, and there is like no CGI in this film. The realness made it easy for me, sometimes I didn’t feel like I was acting.” With immaculate production design by Dante Ferretti and original pop songs written by Evan Kidd Bogart and Justin Gray, the viewer is transported back to Verona, 1301, with the emotional rawness of Gen-Z. “I think that is what makes our film special, these songs are written by hitmakers. You hear them once and you’ll walk out of the theatre singing them back to yourself. They are really contagious.”

Courtesy of Felice Trinidad

Staying on the topic of atmosphere, I had a twinge of envy that he got to film in the beautiful landscapes of Italy, adorned with the perfect temperatures for swimming and tanning. Even though he ended each day with endless bowls of Cacio e Pepe, Parker did not have so many luxuries. “It was actually the other way around.” He laughs, “We filmed late November to early February, which is winter in Italy, and it was actually pretty cold. We’d film at night from 11 pm to 4 am, and because of that, it was even colder. In between our takes, we’d have these awesome blankets we wrapped ourselves in. But that’s the job, and I think it made the experience for me more fun; sometimes you have to go through those levels of terrain, it’s all part of being an actor.”

After 3 weeks of filming, Parker finally relaxed into the process and began to develop his own routine. It is here in our interview that I see where his true journey began to unfold. He walked on to his first set with the technique; his history of learning structure and repetition, rehearsing monologues with classmates and at home. As theory dissolved through a series of fast learning, facing his fears and overcoming challenges, his transformation began, carving space for self-discovery. At that moment in time, Max Parker was learning who he was as an actor.

“I started reading in my downtime, and one of the books I picked up was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The book talks about seeing good omens,  having good energy and understanding spiritually you are in the right place at the right time. I had a scene to film when I was still reading the book, it was with Romeo and Tommaso, it was really fun, and I remember being the happiest ever in that moment. The book was matching the vibe of what we were filming; I was grabbing knowledge from the book and using its positive energy and throwing it at the camera. It was a spiritual moment for me because I learned that instead of overthinking, I can really just sit in it. If you trust that you know yourself, everything just kind of falls naturally.”

Historically, Benvolio was the calm and rational presence amongst the chaos in the Montagues and Capulets; as Romeo’s cousin and close friend he acts as both confidant and moral compass. He is concerned with keeping Romeo away from the violence. However, he has his own struggles that have canonically left out of other interpretations; he struggles to balance his idealism and reality. “This version of Benvolio is different from previous renditions. In this interpretation, he is a very cautious, worried character. I was able to bring a lot of myself into the role – I am a Virgo,” he smiles, “I tend to be a little more internal myself. I overthink stuff, and that was a quality I was able to bring to him.” 

Although a supporting figure, his internal conflict is reflective of powerlessness of the people outside of the families, their fight ultimately determines the fate of their communities, Parker’s performance is exceptional in expressing Benvolio’s desperate search for harmony, his understanding of his characters overlooked nuance made the modern film feel closer to the source material. “He just wants the best for Romeo and everyone around him and I think he really does want the best for the Capulets as well. In this version, you can see the inner turmoil. You can see he’s just worried even when he’s not speaking.”

‘Streets On Fire’, a song Parker served vocals on, illuminates the anxiety that the townspeople and families feel with war looming over their heads. It felt like an anthem for Benvolio’s struggles, Parker explains. “He’s actively singing ‘I’m running from the warnings, at any given moment we might break down,’ that is what he would say on a normal day. These songs, I think for all of us, were kind of like internal monologues for our characters. Tim really encouraged us to sing over the recorded tracks to show those small facial expressions, the small nuances of each character’s emotions, while we were singing. That was a really important process for the songs themselves.”

Juliet and Romeo doesn’t veer too far away from Shakespeare’s message about how youthful love can inspire boldness and beauty but also impulsiveness and tragedy. The swift, intense, all consuming love between the characters made me wonder if Parker himself believed if they were soulmates and if the vulnerability of love made the outcome worth it. “I think there is such a thing as a soulmate, equally, there are days where I ask if love is even real.” He pauses to reflect, “Coming from someone who has written about love in my own songs, sometimes about feelings and ideas I’ve not experienced yet, I think it’s normal for people growing up and trying to understand what life is all about.”

Courtesy of Felice Trinidad

This may be Max Parker’s first film — his breakout role, you could say, but to me it feels like his debut. A singer, actor, songwriter, self proclaimed theatre-kid, reader, and someone attuning to energy and spirit, he carries all the right elements to shape a future entirely his own. When asked about the roles he dreams of next, his face lights up. “First — This is a long shot but when I went to see The Outsiders as a musical in New York, I was so blown away, it’s a phenomenal show. There are rumours that it is coming to Toronto and if that is true and they are looking at casting again. That is a project I’d love to go for. I also have this dream of being a main character in a film but as a narrator. Then, there is my desire to do a coming-of-age story, sort of a boy becoming a man. I just want to be an entertainer at the end of the day because I feel I was put on this earth to do this. I want to make people smile and feel things. I really hope I can keep doing it for the rest of my life.”