With the release of “Obsession,” Curry Barker quickly rose to become the next big thing in Hollywood and the world of horror.
To hear him tell it, that comes with some challenges.
Before “Obsession” hit theaters, Barker went to work on his next directorial feature, “Anything but Ghosts,” which he co-wrote and stars in alongside Cooper Tomlinson (the other half of his online sketch duo “that’s a bad idea”). Barker and Tomlinson, both relative newcomers to the world of big-screen moviemaking, are joined in the cast by established actors Aaron Paul, Bryce Dallas Howard and Violet McGraw.
“It was so crazy,” Curry said in a podcast interview with his screenwriter dad, Jeff Barker. “I was really scared at first, nervous. I remember texting you being like, ‘I don’t know if, like, I’m nervous giving direction to Aaron and these people that are so much higher than me. What if they don’t want to listen to me?’”
Curry shared his concerns in a one-on-one interview on his father’s podcast, “The Screenplay Lab.” With “Obsession,” Curry directed a cast of relative unknowns and young actors, including Tomlinson, Inde Navarrette, Michael Johnston and Megan Lawless (as well as Andy Richter in a more limited role). The film, made for a budget of less than $1 million, has skyrocketed at the box office to a current total north of $150 million, making more in its second weekend than its opening, and more in its third weekend than its second.
Despite the clear confidence established in his debut, Curry said that directing a cast of Hollywood actors proved to be a different skill entirely.
“It’s not that their choices are going to be bad, but that I would be afraid to correct them,” he told his father.
“Right. You have a vision. Would you be able to respect and stick to your vision when you don’t want to upset an A-list star? You want them to like you. We all want to be liked,” Jeff responded. “But you got lucky because Aaron Paul is like an A-list human being, right? He was there to serve you. He wanted you to have the best movie.”
“And Bryce,” Curry added.
You can watch the full video below:
Curry gave praise to both Howard and McGraw, as well as Paul, for their talent and collaboration on set. While directing, he said he frequently recalled a piece of advice his father gave him: “They’re going to be disappointed if I don’t give them direction. They would be disappointed that I wouldn’t be the director they thought I was if I didn’t stay true to my vision.” It’s a sentiment that helped him navigate what will be his second theatrical feature, following two con men who, while pretending to be paranormal investigators, stumble upon a true haunting.
“It’s your responsibility. When you ask someone fly across the country or to another country and be in your movie, you can’t sell out,” Jeff said. “You have to give it to them, give them what they need. The trick though is finding out what each person needs because everybody’s different. Some people want specific direction, some people want space. With Bryce Dallas Howard, you’re dealing with a director too.”
“Exactly! That scared me too. I was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s also a director.’ But she didn’t do that at all,” Curry responded. “She didn’t try to put her vision of the movie on. The only thing she wanted was her vision of the character, which is what an actor is supposed to do.”
“That’s their job,” Jeff added. “She definitely made it better.”
