It’s fair to say Welshman Richard Parks has faced his fair share of terrifying scenarios.
As a professional rugby player for the Welsh national team, he went toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and best in the game, including a notoriously tough-tackling South Africa side. Yet, after hanging up his boots in 2009, things only got scarier, as Richard launched himself into a new career as an extreme endurance athlete, climbing mountains and venturing to some of the most remote places on the planet.
Now, Richard has a new type of challenge on his hands – keeping Hollywood actor Will Smith alive in Antarctica.
Richard features as one of the expert guides on the new National Geographic series Pole to Pole with Will Smith, which sees the actor, known for blockbusters like Bad Boys and Men in Black (plus the beloved 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) crossing the planet, from bottom to top.
Richard is charged with leading Will on the first leg of his mammoth expedition, aiding the actor in reaching what is essentially the starting point of his journey, the south pole.
The southernmost point on earth is a place Richard knows well. He was the first person of colour to ski solo to the geographical south pole, and, over the last decade, he’s skied more solo unsupported and unassisted miles in Antarctica than anyone else in history. In the show, he passes on some of this wisdom to Will, showing him his cross-country skiing technique and discussing the mental strength it takes to spend an extended period of time in the incredibly harsh Antarctic environment.
In one particularly poignant scene, Richard also talks of the mental health struggles he faced upon retiring from rugby, following a decade-spanning career playing professionally for a number of clubs, including Newport Dragons and Perpignan (in France), as well as the Welsh national team. Richard, who grew up in the former coal mining town of Pontypridd in South Wales, explains how taking on extreme physical challenges has helped to reestablish his self-belief and sense of self worth away from the rugby field.
Speaking about working on the show, Richard told Outside Magazine, ‘The opportunity to be a part of a series like Pole to Pole is an incredible privilege.’
‘When somebody like Will Smith is courageous enough to be vulnerable and to immerse himself in, for my episode, Antarctica, the audience is able to see themselves through Will. That’s incredible, and that’s something I’m really proud to be a part of,’ he added.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith is available to view on the Disney Plus streaming service, while the first episode, featuring Richard, is available, free to view, on YouTube.
Read more about Richard Parks, his career, and his drive to push himself to do things no human has done before.