#spotted: task

how do you feel about your family, now that you’re an adult? 

“ i like my family a lot better now than i did when i was a kid. rizzo and her dad are great, and of course i love my mother. uh... i don’t hear much from dad, so i can’t say much for him, but the others are great ! “

what do you want from life?

" this is gonna sound really cliche, but happiness. what kind of person wants to live a sad life. “

if you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

" that’s a tough one. honestly, i would probably ask for a bunch of weird stuff, like the ability to see into the future, immortality, and invulnerability. “

what three things would you take to a desert island?

" i wouldn’t go to a desert island to begin with, but i guess my phone, a boat, and someone who knows how to get back to the mainland. “

how do you fall in love? at first sight? over a long period?

" over a long period. i’m not really the type to jump into things, you know ? “

what parts of loving come easy for you? hard?

" the easy part is being there for someone. all it takes is time; sometimes money, but mostly time. and care, and consideration too ! the hardest part... well, that would have to be forgiving, and letting things go. i love fletcher, but i’m still salty about some of the things he’s done. “

how do you decide if you can trust someone? experience with others? with this person? first impressions? intuition? do you test the person somehow? or are you just generally disposed to trust or not to trust?

" i’m generally pretty trusting. there’s not a huge decision process or anything. as long as they don’t seem bad, they’re alright in my book. “

when you walk into a room, what do you notice first? second?

“ the first thing is the lighting, since that’s very important. the second thing is the people in the room. “

did you turn out the way you expected? the way your parents predicted?

" absolutely not. when i first made my instagram account, i wasn’t thinking about getting famous. i just wanted to try it out. my parents didn’t see it coming either. i have no idea what my dad thought i was gonna do, but i know for sure that my mom thought i was gonna end up working the pole or something. “

what’s the one thing you have always wanted to do but didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t? what would happen if you did do it?

" i don’t know... come clean to fletcher. he’d probably break up with me, and his manager would probably stop paying me, and i would probably get blacklisted or something... it’s scary. “

what do you consider are your strengths?

" selie-taking, looking good, playing guitar ( sometimes ). “

what do you consider are your weaknesses?

" anything involving math or science. can’t do it. "

what is one physical attribute you are proud of?

" just one ? eh... my face is really clear. i like that. “

what one physical attribute would you change?

" i wish i was a little bit taller. like, not ridiculously tall. just tall enough to touch the highest shelf in the cabinet without standing on my tiptoes. “

if you could be famous for something else, what would it be?

" it’d be cool to be an actress, but i’m sure it takes a lot more to break into that than it does to keep followers on instagram. “

what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? why?

" the worst thing ? uh... doubt rizzo would be a good sister. definitely the worst thing i’ve ever done. “

describe your ideal mate.

“ a combination of fletcher and ryan gosling, probably. “

what are you most afraid of?

“ death and dying. losing people i care about. stuff like that. “

what’s the most important thing in your life? what do you value most?

" the most important thing is happiness. it’s also the most valuable, but kindness and love walk hand in hand with that, so those too. “

how do you feel about your life right now? what, if anything, would you like to change?

We had a chance to sit down with Raoul Parata and ask him some of the real questions you all wanted to know…

how do you feel about your family, now that you’re an adult?

“I still feel the same way about them. I know that deep down, they did care about me. But, I mean what’s the point of having a damn kid if you’re never going to be around? I basically owe my dad my career since he introduced me to this world, but fuck. I love them but they could’ve done some things differently. even now, as i’m making headlines and on the television, i’ll be lucky if they shoot me a congratulatory text. i’m not complaining since i’m used to them being unsupportive robots, but it would be nice get some acknowledgment from the people you looked up to as a kid, you know?

what do you want from life?

“a cliche question deserves a cliche answer: fulfillment. in ten years when i’m old as hell and living in one of those top notch nursing homes that feed you steak and mashed potatoes and brush your dentures for you, i want to be able to say i lived in the moment. i want something to tell my grandchildren  things from my life that’ll make ‘em think i was a cool grandpa. ” 

if you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

“another championship, some furniture, and a better manager.” 

what three things would you take to a desert island?

“all the trophies i’ve acquired over the years, a million bags of cool ranch doritos, and giselle.” 

how do you fall in love? at first sight? over a long period?

“definitely not at first sight. how does that even happen? over a long period of time, for sure. when people say they’re in love and they’ve known the person for about a month, i’ll call bullshit. you cannot be truly in love with someone. maybe infatuated, but to be truly in love, ha.” 

how do you decide if you can trust someone? experience with others? with this person? first impressions? intuition? do you test the person somehow? or are you just generally disposed to trust or not to trust?

“the most honest i can give is time. everyone is different with other people, so you just gotta be patient and watch their actions. most of the time, people do things in the best interest of themselves, even if it means being disloyal to others, which makes it difficult to decide who to trust. i would be a complete fool to put my life in the hands of others, fuck that. not even with my parents. when you’re in a position where your live can be literally ruined within the snap of a finger, you become more pessimistic of people and their actions.” 

when you walk into a room, what do you notice first? second?

“the first thing i notice, and this’ll probably sound super fuckin’ superficial, is their appearance. like, are they dressed for the occasion? if not, i try my best to limit interactions. i know that whole ‘don’t judge a book by a cover’ shit is old news, but we all have flaws to work on. the second thing i notice is if they’re having a good time. if they’re sporting a huge smile, i’ll try to find someone that isn’t having fun and cheer ‘em up.” 

did you turn out the way you expected? the way your parents predicted?

“i always thought i’d turn into one of those snobby kids that is featured on a reality tv show on E! news about rich kids, so i didn’t turn out the way i expected. obviously. and thank God for that. as for my parents, i don’t have a fucking clue. who the fuck knows? i mean, i think they knew they’d play a part in helping me get a better future since they have connections and all, but do you think they predicted that i’d turn out to be an alcohol loving person that occasionally and accidentally punches his girlfriend?” 

what’s the one thing you have always wanted to do but didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t? what would happen if you did do it?

“man, i don’t fuckin’ know. honestly.”

what do you consider are your strengths?

“my charm, yeah. obviously, there were other candidates that have more experience racing and a hell of a lot more potential, but my charm and parents help got me where i am. i’m not saying its ideal, but better to use it than to ignore it, right?” 

what do you consider are your strengths?

"it takes a lot to bring me down. there was this rumor going around about me, i forgot what, but my mom calls me crying her eyes out. she was saying that i shouldn’t attend the award show that was happening later that day because it was just going to cause a scene and rile up some people, but i did go and i had a fucking blast. the rumors do get to me, but i always tell myself its going to pass, even when it doesn’t feel like it.” 

what do you consider are your weaknesses?

"what, did one of my enemies pay you to ask me this question or something?  uh, i guess one of my weaknesses would be how i got my start. my parents basically made a call and i got the job within the snap of a finger, so in a way, i’m not used to not being pampered. as a kid, that was all i knew. even now, i have to call a cleaning service to clean my house and i take my laundry to the laundromat on occasion for them to do.” 

what is one physical attribute you are proud of?

“my face, not to sound cocky or anything. i’m not saying i’m the sexiest man alive, but i’m not saying i’m some forrest gump lookalike, either.” 

what is one physical attribute you would change?

“my chicken legs. growing up, i guess i didn’t think missing leg day would be that big of a deal.” 

if you could be famous for something else, what would it be?

"i would absolutely love to be famous for producing adult magazines and bein’ a playboy. before you go and give me that look, just think about it. i’m pretty sure every guy wants to do something like hugh hefner, i’m just the only one that has the balls to say it.” 

what is the worst thing you’ve ever done? why?

"oh, you would wanna know, huh? let’s say... when i was seventeen, i snuck out of my house and didn’t get home until 10 that morning. my parents had the cops and everyone parked in my yard because they thought i was kidnapped or some shit. i felt so bad that i confessed to the entire thing. it wasn’t until a few years ago that i was told that entire thing was just a set up to make me feel bad.” 

describe your ideal mate. 

“someone that shares the same interests as me. not to sound shallow, but a pretty girl with a not too stuck up attitude. also, someone that’s not afraid to get their hands dirty. obviously, someone that cares about me and isn’t just with me for the money and fame, you know?” 

what are you most afraid of?

“to end up like my parents. i know what they did was wrong and i would never want to do that with my future children, but since that’s the only thing i know, what if i involuntarily do? this thought is constantly running in my head.” 

what’s the most important thing in your life? what do you value most?

“right now, the most important thing in my life is my trophy for winning the sprint cup. it gives me a sort of validation, you know? like, i know there are people that will always be up my ass about how i was basically handed this job and this trophy is like the best of the best. to me, winning that and getting rewarded makes me feel like i’m doing something right.” 

how do you feel about your life right now? what, if anything, would you like to change?