{"id":417272,"date":"2025-09-12T01:57:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T01:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/417272\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T01:57:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T01:57:20","slug":"barry-sloane-on-chasing-his-dreams-and-returning-home-for-new-bbc-crime-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/417272\/","title":{"rendered":"Barry Sloane on chasing his dreams and returning home for new BBC crime drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garston-born, LA-based actor Barry Sloane is known for bringing raw, emotionally charged characters to life across stage, screen and video games.
\nHere, he reflects on the choices that have shaped a career which includes voicing Captain Price in the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise, a blistering turn as Yosser in Boys from the Blackstuff, and a role in Tony Schumacher\u2019s new Liverpool-set BBC drama The Cage
\nWords | Lawrence Saunders
\nFrom a young age you were involved in music and drama, and you\u2019ve spoken before about having a \u2018drive to create and perform\u2019. Where do you think that comes from?<\/p>\n

There was never anyone else in our family who acted. I was the first one to do it, which actually alleviated a lot of the pressure. There was no kind of benchmark for anything. There were highly creative people in my family but no one had used that to earn a living. I realise now that it was a positive manifestation \u2013 I was creating a reality for myself through thought. I didn\u2019t know how exactly it was going to happen, but I knew I was going to succeed in some way.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate that one of my mates wanted to start a band, and I say this to my 15-year-old daughter now: \u2018You make decisions at points in your life and you don\u2019t realise how pivotal they are going to be\u2019. It\u2019s just a small thing \u2013 which mates you pick, and them saying \u2018Do you wanna form a band\u2019 \u2013 and you\u2019ve no idea what to do, but you think: \u2018I\u2019ll just pick up that guitar and hit the strings like Bez from the Happy Mondays or something\u2019.<\/p>\n

And so I was off and running. I was creating something; I was creating art \u2013 it was everything. It was the early to mid \u201990s, which was such a great time to be in bands. Not only were The Beatles pivotal in showing me it was possible to be from this city and be anything [I wanted to be], but Oasis, for a working-class lad, were just as important. They just did, they stood there with a snarl and an arrogance and said: \u2018We\u2019re gonna f *****g do this\u2019. And it really gave me an extra kick, it was like: \u2018Come on, let\u2019s have it!\u2019.<\/p>\n

How did you make the leap from playing in bands to landing your first acting roles?<\/p>\n

The guy managing our band, Smiling Jackals, also ran an extras agency. He\u2019d put us up for certain things and say: \u2018This will pay for your rehearsal\u2019. In 1999, an American production company was casting a Beatles movie in Liverpool, and they were looking for real musicians. I went down to the open audition with the guitar my mum and dad had bought me. I tried out for the role of John Lennon but didn\u2019t get it. I did, however, land a part in the film \u2013 I played Ivan Vaughan, the man who introduced John to Paul McCartney. Getting that role was brilliant because it brought music and acting together. It all aligned perfectly for me.<\/p>\n

Around 2001\/2002, Smiling Jackals were doing really well and we\u2019d had a few showcases with various record companies. At the same time, I was auditioning for Brookside, which I\u2019d tried out for a couple of times before. A couple of years earlier, the band had been nominated for \u2018Best Liverpool Band\u2019 at the Echo Arts Awards. We were all drunk, jumping around and making fools of ourselves \u2013 as young lads do. Phil Redmond had spotted me at some point during the night, so when I later went to a meeting about being part of a new family in Brookside, he said: \u2018Were you the one jumping around the table and knocking things over like Liam Gallagher?\u2019 And I was like: \u2018Yeah, that was me!\u2019<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the meeting went well from there and I got offered a role. I had to make a choice then \u2013 I couldn\u2019t do Brookside and the band. I chose Brookside, and that became my YTS, my college, my university. One of the best things about that show was how it gave young Liverpool talent a platform to succeed. Those opportunities haven\u2019t really been there since, but they are coming back now, thank God, with things like The Responder, This City Is Ours, and the new one I\u2019ve just finished, The Cage.<\/p>\n

It was interesting starting out, because after the success of Brookside and other Liverpool shows, casting breakdowns often said: \u2018No scouse accents\u2019. Which was crazy. So I realised quite early on that I had to learn other accents, and I\u2019ve spent much of my career not actually playing scousers.<\/p>\n

One of the few scouse characters you have played is arguably the most famous Liverpudlian in TV history. What was it like stepping into the role of Yosser Hughes for the stage adaptation of Boys from the Blackstuff?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved Boys from the Blackstuff. Years ago, when I was doing Blood Brothers, I\u2019d make any new non-scouse cast member sit and watch it. I\u2019d say: \u2018I know Blood Brothers is a bit light, but this is the city we\u2019re talking about. I want you to understand the time period and the stakes\u2019. I was kind of obsessed with it \u2013 definitely obsessed with Bernard Hill\u2019s performance as Yosser. It was my dad\u2019s favourite character of all time as well. When the opportunity came up to play him, I was doing a revival of Jerusalem in the West End, the play that in 2009 changed my career and mine and my family\u2019s life forever. I told my agent I had to be seen for Yosser.<\/p>\n

I got a meeting and I was ready \u2013 grew the muzzy, put some black make-up under my eyes so I looked like s**t. And I just smashed it. After I finished, Alan Bleasdale said: \u2018That was absolutely terrifying\u2019. And I replied: \u2018I hope that\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for\u2019 [laughs]. Honestly, I would have been happy just playing Yosser in that audition for 35 minutes \u2013 I love the character that much. But fortunately, I got the part, and it\u2019s truly one of the great honours of my career.<\/p>\n

Performing at the Royal Court was incredibly special. We had grown men, who maybe aren\u2019t used to feeling stuff, shouting out: \u2018Don\u2019t you break, Yosser! Don\u2019t you f *****g break!\u2019 It was heartbreaking, because there\u2019s a massive part of the character that the audience identifies with. Taking the show down to London as well, playing it at the National Theatre, showing the fight we scousers have \u2013 that was unbelievable. I loved it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sandman. Barry Sloane as Destruction in episode 206 of The Sandman. Cr. Ed Miller\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yosser is such an intense and complex character \u2013 was it difficult to switch off after the job ended?<\/p>\n

Yes, I was ready for the break, to be honest. I\u2019d already told them I wouldn\u2019t be doing the tour. I really had exhausted myself. I\u2019d read interviews with Bernard before, where he spoke about how he lost himself a little bit playing the role and how it really affected him.<\/p>\n

Yosser\u2019s energy is very tough to hold, night after night, for a long time. My body broke after I\u2019d finished \u2013 I was in agony because of the tension I\u2019d been holding, and I actually lost some hearing. It\u2019s quite profound what can happen with that kind of energy, because you\u2019re calling on it every night and your body doesn\u2019t always understand that it isn\u2019t real. The brain can know it\u2019s not real, but if you keep putting in trauma, the body releases the same chemicals into your system as it would if these things were really happening. So, night after night you\u2019re getting this rush of toxins, and if you don\u2019t clear them properly, it hits you. It was a tough role, but I wouldn\u2019t change a thing. A true highlight of my career.<\/p>\n

Apologies if you\u2019ve been asked this a million times before, but how did you come to voice the central figure in Call of Duty, one of the biggest video game franchises in history?<\/p>\n

I did a show in the States called Six, which was about US Navy SEALs. We trained extensively with a group of SEALs over a number of years. That included a full-on SEAL \u2018Hell Week\u2019, house clearances, camping, hiking, swimming, parachuting \u2013 the whole shebang! I became quite good friends with the lads because we spent so much time together.<\/p>\n

When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare came around, one of the SEALs was working as a technical advisor on the game for the developer Infinity Ward. A meeting came about, and they knew I was trained enough not to come in and play some hardman soldier \u2013 I could just relax and be the character. A lot of the work in the cut scenes isn\u2019t about running around with a gun, it\u2019s about how you hold it, how comfortable you are in that environment.<\/p>\n

I went in for the audition and did really well \u2013 obviously, because I got the job [laughs]. I didn\u2019t know at the time that it was Captain Price I was auditioning for, because they keep these things so hush-hush. But midway through, the narrative director, Taylor Kurosaki, wrote on a piece of paper: It\u2019s Captain Price, because they wanted me to nail it. I\u2019d played the previous games, so I knew straight away it was a major role. I had to say, \u2018Under my command, Captain John Price\u2019, and I made him scouse \u2013 because I wanted him to be scouse [laughs]. I really pushed for it, but there was a bit of pushback from the Americans who struggled to understand the accent [laughs]. So, I\u2019ve been doing Captain Price since 2018, and it\u2019s been amazing.<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about the new BBC drama set in Liverpool called The Cage, and your character, Gary?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the new show from Tony Schumacher, who of course created The Responder. It\u2019s set in a Liverpool city centre casino and stars Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha. Their characters, Leanne and Matty, both work in the casino and are secretly stealing money from the cage \u2013 that\u2019s the area where all the financial transactions happen. They are doing it separately until they realise what the other one is up to, and they are kind of caught.<\/p>\n

My character, Gary, and his mother, Nancy \u2013 played by Geraldine James \u2013 own the casino. I\u2019m not exactly legal [laughs]. I\u2019m basically the threat Leanne and Matty don\u2019t want in their lives. It\u2019s such an amazing show, and Gary is one of the best characters I\u2019ve ever played. I honestly can\u2019t wait for people to see it. Doing my own accent was a massive thing too \u2013 it gave me so much freedom to improvise and I just instinctively knew how to play this lad.<\/p>\n

This City Is Ours has gone down really well, so I know people are enjoying that type of character. I actually waited until after filming to watch it, because I didn\u2019t want to be influenced by what James [Nelson-Joyce] had done. I\u2019m glad I did, because we\u2019ve both done very different things with our characters [laughs].<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve also joined House of the Dragon (the Game of Thrones spin-off) for the third series. What\u2019s it been like stepping into such a massive and popular show?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been brilliant. The Sandman, which is out now on Netflix, was similar in terms of scale. I\u2019ve been doing American TV for over a decade, so I\u2019m used to that side of things. But I\u2019m a fan of Game of Thrones, so being part of that world was great \u2013 especially putting all the gear on. I spent a lot of time walking around the castle, which was amazing because the sets are incredible. The costume\u2019s a bit uncomfortable, but it looks f*****g cool, so I\u2019m happy to wear it [laughs]. I\u2019m just excited to be part of it \u2013 and for everything else that\u2019s coming up. It\u2019s epic.<\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t enough, you\u2019ve also got your band back together. How did that come about, and why did you decide now was the right time to reform Smiling Jackals?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long time. Me, Nick (Kilroe) and Rob (Nico) have kept in touch regularly over the years since we split. Nick played with a Liverpool band called The Black Velvets, did really well, then went on to be Echo & the Bunnymen\u2019s drummer for nearly 10 years, and also played a bit with the Icicle Works.<\/p>\n

We actually talked about reforming back in 2015, but I was working a lot in the States then, so getting together in the same place was nearly impossible. The reason it\u2019s worked out now is because of my filming schedule. I\u2019ve been in England for a good chunk of time, so we\u2019ve finally been able to get into the studio and actually record.<\/p>\n

So that passion for music and that want to make music has never left you over the years?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a piece of art. The big difference between doing it now and the first time around is that there\u2019s no pressure. We\u2019re not trying to get to number one \u2013 we\u2019re in our 40s, it\u2019s a different vibe. Now it\u2019s just fun: making art with your mates. And, fortunately, because of the reach we\u2019ve got, these new songs have already had hundreds of thousands of listens.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d told the 19-year-old me that would happen, he\u2019d have been over the moon \u2013 he\u2019d probably have retired! Mind you, back in \u201999 we\u2019d have been selling CDs, so I might have made a nice little killing there. Streaming\u2019s different though [laughs]. But we\u2019re not in it for the money. We\u2019ve already put out two releases \u2013 \u2018Health Junkie\u2019 and \u2018Monster\u2019 \u2013 and there\u2019s another single coming in October.<\/p>\n

Barry stars in season two of The Sandman, now streaming on Netflix. The Cage will be available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer in late 2025 or early 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Garston-born, LA-based actor Barry Sloane is known for bringing raw, emotionally charged characters to life across stage, screen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[142987,142988,748,93389,1207,393,4884,179,142989,14681,142990,142991,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-417272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-barry-sloane","9":"tag-boys-from-the-blackstuff","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-brookside","12":"tag-call-of-duty","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-liverpool","16":"tag-smiling-jackals","17":"tag-the-cage","18":"tag-the-responder","19":"tag-this-city-is-ours","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115188848706145366","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417272","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=417272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}