Parks may not be immediately familiar to some, but he’s had a long and interesting career. One look at his IMDB page and it’s clear that during the 60’s and 70’s, he was the go-to guy if TV studios and filmmakers needed a cowboy or heavy. For anyone who has seen his more recent performances in many of the Tarantino/Rodriguez genre films (he’s been in From Dusk Till Dawn, both Kill Bills, Death Proof and Planet Terror) it’s clear this guy has a tremendous screen presence. In his short screen time in Kill Bill Vol. 2, playing Bill’s brothel-owning father figure, he’s truly electrifying.
Smith’s track record of late has been patchy to say the least and although he’s heading in a direction which may prove equally challenging to both his skills as a director and to his now well-established comedy fanbase, at least by casting someone likes Parks he’s going about it in the right way.
Michael Parks acting ability is mind boggling, along with his singing ability. Michael was really the next James Dean, period. In one film back in the 70’s, he played a South American revolutionary and did it perfectly. You couldn’t even recognize him. It is really the sign of a great director that would pay attention to such acting ability as Michael’s which has been under-utilized by Hollywood.