{"id":145875,"date":"2025-05-31T04:23:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T04:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/145875\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T04:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T04:23:11","slug":"bring-her-back-star-billy-barratt-was-best-at-horror-when-locked-in-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/145875\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Bring Her Back\u2019 Star Billy Barratt Was Best At Horror When Locked In Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE: <\/strong>Billy Barratt<\/a>, star of\u00a0Danny and Michael Philippou<\/a>\u2019s grippingly intense, dark and twisted\u00a0Bring Her Back<\/a>, was able to get into the mood for horror by being locked alone in a room, he reveals.<\/p>\n

\n\tBrit actor Barratt, 17, who also plays Casper Morrow, one of the few humans able to communicate with the alien invaders in the Apple TV+<\/a> drama\u00a0Invasion<\/a>, tells Deadline: \u201cThere were moments where Danny would basically lock me in a room by myself, and he goes, \u2018Just try and get in character.\u2019 He shut the door, I\u2019m not allowed to leave. I ended up just sitting there with no phone, no nothing \u2014 which is great, by the way. I just sat there for ages, and then when I came back outside of that door, back into the scene \u2026 you just feel like you are there are in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u00a0\u00a0was funny at first, but then he found it freaky and scary. However, he adds, being shut away for half-hour stretches at a time\u00a0was useful. \u201cSeeing the effect it had actually helped me so much, not just in the script but in future projects as well. So thank you, Danny,\u201d he says with gratitude.<\/p>\n

\n\tBring Her Back\u00a0is a horror film underpinned by a solid tale involving\u00a0siblings Andy and Piper, who is vision-impaired, played by Barratt and Sora Wong, respectively. Following the death of their father, they\u2019re fostered by Laura, a seemingly \u2014 at first glance, at least \u2014\u00a0kindly, grieving mother whose daughter has died, played by two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSally Hawkins in \u2018Bring Her Back\u2019 (A24<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s more emotion than just jump scares and gory things,\u201d Barratt says with a dramatic shiver.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis isn\u2019t a spoiler, because it\u2019s in all the trailers, but Hawkins scares the living daylights out of those kids \u2013 and the audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a third kid involved in the story called Oliver, played with macabre relish\u00a0by Jonah Wren Phillips.<\/p>\n

\n\tI saw the A24 picture\u00a0on a recent morning at a screening kindly set up by Sony at its HQ in Paddington, London, and it left me shaken for the rest of the day \u2014 and night.<\/p>\n

\n\tHawkins fully immerses\u00a0herself in her role.\u00a0Barratt recalls chatting to her at the wrap party. \u201cShe said to me, \u2018We should meet up in London because I haven\u2019t actually got to meet you as me yet properly.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Oh, OK. Cool. Right. So you were really Laura in that!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe makes clear that the\u00a0actress wasn\u2019t \u201cterrifying\u201d the whole time.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt only clicked for me when she said that. And I was like, \u2018Oh, so you were fully immersed the whole time?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt can be \u201cquite handy\u201d to stay in character all day, he says, and go the full Daniel Day-Lewis.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere were three weeks of pre-production in Adelaide, Australia, the Philippous\u2019 home state, which he says, \u201cactors at my level aren\u2019t usually involved in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOrdinarily, \u201cyou just sort of show up on the first day, they\u2019ve done their pre-production, and then you just start. Here, everyone felt so involved. Me especially. It actually helped me and Sora to have that sort of brother-sister relationship, which is hard to get until you actually hang out with them. Those first three weeks of pre-production were fun for sure, because it felt like the whole thing was a great big icebreaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBarratt studied acting and music at Sylvia Young\u2019s drama school in London, and he was cast in several TV shows, films and one musical. That was with Kelsey Grammer in the musical\u00a0Big Fish, which I happened to have caught.<\/p>\n

\n\tHis breakthrough came when he was 12 in director Nick Holt and writer Sean Buckley\u2019s\u00a0Responsible Child\u00a0, the 2019 Kudos and BBC TV drama\u00a0that won him the International Emmy for Best Actor<\/a>, followed by two seasons of\u00a0Invasion. He\u2019s already filmed a third season, possibly coming to screens later this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a genuine brother-and-sister warmth between the Andy and Piper characters in\u00a0Bring Her Back\u00a0\u2014 and plenty of\u00a0sibling bickering too. He\u2019s always holding her hand, and the relationship doesn\u2019t seem at all feigned.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSora Wong and Billy Barratt in \u2018Bring Her Back\u2019 (A24)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd also the fact that\u00a0I\u2019m not sure how much she could see,\u201d Barratt tells me, because like Piper, Sora is partially blind, though she could see more than her character.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnywhere we\u2019d go,\u201d he gently adds, \u201cwe\u2019d end up just sort of linking arms. And so I explained to her what I could see, what was going on, and just sort of paint an image for her. Andy\u2019s whole thing is he wants to make the world look like a better place for his little sister.\u201c<\/p>\n

\n\tHawkins\u2019 Laura does a bunch of things that I can\u2019t spoil here, though as we discuss them, the word that Barratt and I kept repeating was \u201cweird.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019d go so far to say, wonderfully weird. Maybe terrifyingly weird is more appropriate.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd as Barratt points out, \u201cPiper cannot see what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a whole mind game and such great writing from Danny Philippou<\/a> and Michael Hinzman, who wrote Talk to Me.<\/p>\n

\n\tBarrett didn\u2019t meet with any psychologists or social workers whilst preparing for the film, but he tells me that he was introduced to Miranda Harcourt, the distinguished dramaturg and acting coach who often works with the likes of Nicole Kidman.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe helped me and Sora \u2026 and also just how to approach certain scenes and just gave options and different exercises to do before a scene to get you real wound up,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe says that the crew \u201cwere also my therapy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHow so, I ask. \u201cBecause anytime that it was like a sad scene or a really happy scene or whatever, they would match the vibe on set all day. And it was just so a \u2018We are one\u2019 sort of thing.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor instance, if he had to do a really sad scene, \u201deveryone would be really quiet for the whole day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReviewing Barratt\u2019s performances from\u00a0Responsible Child,\u00a0through two seasons of Invasion and now Bring Her Back, there is a discernible deeper progression in his acting. I mean, he\u2019s growing up. He\u2019s not a little kid anymore; he\u2019s gained confidence in front of the camera as he\u2019s gotten older.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not something that he\u2019s noticed himself, though he notes that there\u2019s \u201cdefinitely a feeling of being more comfortable on set\u201d that first day when you don\u2019t know anyone. \u201cIt\u2019s nerve-wracking, and all you can really think about is the scene, but then at the same time, are they going to like it? Am I doing the right thing? There\u2019s still time to pull me out of the movie. But that\u2019s just what goes through my mind, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReflecting on Invasion, he points out that he\u2019s been on the set with his castmates since he was 13, \u201cand I\u2019m\u00a0turning 18 next month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBilly Barratt in London (Baz Bamigboye\/Deadline)<\/p>\n

\n\tShaking his head, he adds, \u201dIt\u2019s just been a mad trip, a mad drive, especially through Covid and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere were stops and starts during the pandemic, though there was a period where they had to stop shooting \u201cfor ages.\u201d But when they resumed \u201dwe\u2019d all grown up by that point and all the growth spurts had happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe plus factor is that he made lifelong friends through his involvement with Invasion.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe took\u00a0Cassius, his younger brother, to the set while shooting the final episode of Season 2. \u201cHe was acting a little bit before this and then stopped. And then when I took him to that set, he was so amazed by all the lights and the lasers. It was a mad thing to see. He was like, \u2018I want to start acting again.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s video on YouTube of the 2020 International Emmy ceremony done remotely. Barratt\u2019s at home with his family, and when he\u2019s announced as the winner, he turns to Cassius, now 13, and\u00a0says, \u2019Man, I love you,\u2019 rubs his brother\u2019s head affectionately\u00a0and says, \u201dThat\u2019ll be you next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a telling moment. Also in\u00a0Bring Her Back\u00a0there are\u00a0aforementioned moments with Wong, and in certain scenes in\u00a0Invasion, there\u2019s a sort of inherent caring gene that he has that comes through the screen.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe matter is not something he\u2019s, thought about or is aware of, obviously, but\u00a0Barratt acknowledges there\u2019s something in what I\u2019m suggesting.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBilly Barratt in \u2018Bring Her Back\u2019 (A24)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think that\u2019s what freaks me out when I\u2019m watching myself back. Is it too much like me or have I actually got the character down or have I just half-assed that? Because I\u2019m seeing parts of me in there. But then I also think on the flip side of that, I think it\u2019s quite important to have a little bit of you in there because that\u2019s what makes it natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the\u00a0Bring Her Back\u00a0shoot, he says that he saw a lot of his brother in Sora because they\u2019re a similar age \u201cand they have fights and that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds: \u201cIt\u2019s just siblings, there\u2019s a real deep love in it. I definitely saw a lot of my brother in Sora\u2019s character.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe spent a long time chatting, and it\u2019s clear, at least to me, that Barratt\u2019s in it for the long haul. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019d love to be involved in every aspect of a film from the moment it started right up to when it comes out,\u201d he says. \u201cI think there\u2019s moments that I miss because as an actor it\u2019s just not your job to be involved in those certain scenarios. And I wish I could be involved in that. And I look at some really big actors who will sit next to the director and have a say in what happens. And I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s because they\u2019re able to produce as well or whatever.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am not like, massive. You say to anyone: \u2018What\u2019s his name?\u2019 I dunno,\u201d he shrugs.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m definitely new. I\u2019m definitely starting, even though I\u2019ve been doing it\u00a0for about 11 years now, almost. I\u2019m\u00a0a new actor, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEvery actor arrives in some shape or from, I suggest. Leonardo DiCaprio didn\u2019t arrive fully formed, nor did Timoth\u00e9e\u00a0Chalamet or Tom Cruise.<\/p>\n

\n\tTaking issue, Barratt argues that \u201cLeonardo DiCaprio did come fully formed. I love him. And I think every single film I\u2019ve seen him in from when he was younger than me in these films like\u00a0Basketball Diaries\u00a0or\u00a0What\u2019s Eating\u00a0Gilbert\u00a0Grape\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0just incredible in all of it. I just think there\u2019s just some people that have just got\u00a0it\u00a0straight away, and I don\u2019t class myself with one of those people, I\u2019m still learning, for sure. And I think that\u2019s what I mean when I say an \u2018actor at my level\u2019 \u2014 someone that doesn\u2019t understand a lot of it but really wants to. Wants to be involved in all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe order French fries, a Coke for him and more piping-hot tea for me.<\/p>\n

\n\tMaking\u00a0Responsible Child, about a\u00a012-year-old boy accused of helping to kill his abusive stepfather who was tried in court the same as an adult in England and Wales, opened his eyes to the power of film.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter it came out, he realized \u201chow much of an impact\u201d it had had, with changes made in how police and courts handle such cases.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe remembers reading about it and thinking: \u201cOh, shit! It\u2019s not just sitting down and watching something on Netflix. It can change people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCertainly,\u00a0Responsible Child\u00a0hold is one of those films that stay with you.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are a bunch of movies that have stayed with him too.<\/p>\n

\n\tLike\u00a0David Fincher\u2019s\u00a0Fight Club, Martin Scorsese\u2018s\u00a0Shutter Island\u00a0and Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0Inception. He\u2019s a big fan of Sofia Coppola\u2019s Lost in Translation as well. And Michael Curtiz\u2019s\u00a0Casablanca!<\/p>\n

\n\tHe likes Francis Coppola\u2019s\u00a0The Godfather,\u00a0and\u00a0now \u2014 having watched the Paramount+ series\u00a0The Offer, about producer Albert S. Ruddy\u2019s experience of making\u00a0The Godfather \u2014 he wants to see the whole trilogy.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019d like to work with the Philippou brothers again\u00a0and admires what he calls their \u201cgenius\u201d way of working.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey\u2019d work a full day in the studio and then home and be up until the early hours editing the footage of the day and \u201cbe back at 7 in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThey shot with the same crew and used the same studio they filmed\u00a0Talk to Me\u00a0in. It\u00a0was once an insane asylum.\u00a0The Babadook\u00a0was shot there.<\/p>\n

\n\tApparently, he regales, the studio\u2019s haunted on one particular floor. \u201cWe went up to have a little look around,\u201d he recalls, \u201cThis one room was so scary, and there was a pile of dead bees. A lot of bees bang in the center of the film. And people had told stories of cleaners quitting and a security guard going up there and in his ear he could hear whispering. He left and never came back. I would never come back. That\u2019s terrifying,\u201d he says, pausing to add, \u201ca great place to shoot a horror movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSeason 3 of\u00a0Invasion\u00a0was shot in Canada,\u00a0with Barratt\u2019s scenes being shot before and after working on\u00a0Bring Her Back.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy hair was really long, and then I went to shoot\u00a0Invasion, they cut my hair really short. And then I went back out to Canada, and my hair was still short. So then they a wig. But the wig, it just didn\u2019t look like it did before. I don\u2019t blame anyone for that. I just think it just didn\u2019t fit me correctly. It just wasn\u2019t right.\u00a0I\u2019ve actually watched it back on the cameras, and it looked good. But me actually walking around, it just didn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s not allowed to give anything away about Season 3\u00a0of\u00a0Invasion,\u00a0but he does let slip that \u2026 Oh, no! I realize that it\u2019s way too much of a spoiler to impart.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhatever happens to his Casper Morrow in\u00a0Invasion, Billy Barratt\u2019s in for a long and fruitful career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Billy Barratt, star of\u00a0Danny and Michael Philippou\u2019s grippingly intense, dark and twisted\u00a0Bring Her Back, was able to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[21211,3543,62763,45327,21212,59333,77,14114,59334,3943,62764,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-145875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-a24","9":"tag-apple-tv","10":"tag-billy-barratt","11":"tag-breaking-baz","12":"tag-bring-her-back","13":"tag-danny-philippou","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-invasion","16":"tag-michael-philippou","17":"tag-movies","18":"tag-sally-hawkins","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114600542543835071","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}