cover story

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cover story ✦

There’s a quiet sincerity and intensity to Billy Barratt. At just 17, he carries himself with a calm determination that suggests he’s spent years navigating sets, scripts, and emotionally complex characters. And he has.

Starting as a child actor, he swiftly built a career marked by raw talent and a remarkably mature sense of purpose. That rare combination was powerfully evident in his breakout performance in Responsible Child—a role that earned him the 2019 International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and made him the youngest recipient in the award’s history. In the film, based on a true story, Barratt portrayed a 12-year-old boy on trial for murder, navigating the blurred lines between guilt, accountability, and childhood innocence. Even then, it was clear his career wouldn’t follow a typical trajectory.

Asked to reflect on a moment that truly rooted his passion for storytelling, Barratt offers a perspective shaped by those early years on set and the emotional weight of his first few roles. “I think it would have to be Responsible Child,” Barratt tells us. “I was the right age to start to understand this whole industry and how much it can mean and affect audiences. The role told the story of a real person, a child, and I think that made me realise that aside from audiences, this boy would probably watch this, and I wanted to do him justice, and that’s when I realized the importance of the job. I think some people may have watched it and changed their opinions on who this boy really was, and I think for me, I realised how powerful and impactful film is.”

That early understanding of story, character, and emotional depth seems to continue shaping his choices today. His latest project, Bring Her Back, is a psychological horror from A24, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou—the viral filmmakers behind Talk To Me. But this film unfolds much differently. Bring Her Back centers on two siblings in foster care who find themselves in a home shadowed by a disturbing past and a ritualistic event that begins to unravel everything they thought they knew.

The story is more than another genre entry with a supernatural core—it’s layered with emotional complexity, fractured family tension, and a deep sense of unease. For Barratt, the rich and immersive material and creative team stood out right away. “I loved Talk to Me, it was my favorite film of that year and, in fact, in my top two horror films of all time. I was also a huge fan of RackaRacka YouTube stuff because it was the only channel that felt like it was really filmmaking,” the actor recalls.

“They actually reached out to see if I could be in Talk To Me, but I couldn’t make it happen, annoyingly. I was gutted. So, when they called me for Bring Her Back, I was ready to cancel everything. When I read the script, it changed my perception of horror as a genre. It’s not just about jump scares and gore; it also has emotional depth that you don’t often get from this genre.” He continues, “Having a younger brother of my own made the story hit even harder, so it was a bit of a no-brainer. And when we got the cast list, I was like ‘F*** YES!’”

Bring Her Back finds him acting alongside Sally Hawkins, a two-time Oscar nominee with a reputation for quietly devastating performances. Working closely with her (with Hawkins portraying Barratt’s unsettling foster mother) offered a different kind of challenge, one built on presence, precision, and restraint. Fortunately, Barratt’s extensive experience made him the perfect person for the task.

“I have worked with quite a lot of experienced actors now, and I always try and watch them and learn as much as I can from their process,” Barratt tells us. “With Sally, not only is she a brilliant actor, but she is just such a kind soul. She goes so deep into her character, which made it easy for me to bounce off of whilst shooting. It felt like I was talking to [her character Laura]—so scenes could just run on and on, and sometimes that’s where the magic happens. So many of these moments were gold, but didn’t make the final cut, but she just gives you so much to work with, it’s impossible to use it all in one movie.”

The directorial energy from the Philippou brothers, whose breakout film was praised for its intensity, clarity of vision, and willingness to push its actors into uncomfortable emotional territory. Barratt discusses what it was like being directed by them after manifesting this very moment—and how their approach shaped not only the film, but his performance inside it, explaining, “They would create a vibe and atmosphere on set that would match the emotion needed in the scene. That’s my first experience with that sort of directing, which makes it a lot easier to understand exactly what is required emotionally of the scene.”

Continuing to detail the duo’s strengths as filmmakers, he confidently states, “It’s also great because it means the entire crew and cast are connected and have a full understanding and appreciation for the narrative and subtext of the film, and not all sets I have worked on feel like that. I keep saying this, but those two brothers are absolute geniuses.”

The film’s capacity for real, lived-in horror is rooted in psychology and grief as much as it is in the supernatural. Set within heavy character dynamics and an unshakably ominous undercurrent, it clearly required the cast to explore some heavy emotional terrain—and Barratt didn’t shy away from it.

“We shot the film in order, which definitely helps,” he says. “My preparation involved fully understanding who Andy connects to, and what his reactions are—the bits you don’t see in the scene, but [the ones that] Andy would. So, once I understand that, I just take the scenes as they come.” Addressing his character’s core qualities, Barratt shares, “The most important thing for me to understand about Andy was his connection to Piper. Miranda Harcourt—who I actually worked with on Responsible Child—worked with us in pre-production for three weeks, helping me and Sora tie the brother-sister connection together. They are both amazing. “

Aside from an immersive story, atmosphere is basically a given in A24’s filmography. It’s what audiences expect: tension you can feel in the bones, visuals that lean into metaphor, and an emotional weight that goes beyond standard horror tropes. Bring Her Back walks that line. Compared to Talk To Me, which was more social, physical, and fast-burning, this film is slower, colder—more psychological. An all-around elevated experience for the duo’s sophomore title. And Barratt, along with the film’s cast, masterfully commits to going the distance.

“[Bring Her Back had] a minimal cast, it’s essentially just the three of us in the house for most of it, so the atmosphere was set by the thought process inside each character’s head—and their reactions.” He continues, “It feels very isolated and creepy. I feel like A24 and the Philippous’ allowed us to lean heavily into the emotion and acting, which for a horror film, is quite unique.”

Off-screen, Barratt is also channeling his creative energy into music. He currently fronts the band THE HUNGER, a project that gives him another outlet for storytelling. While the processes may differ, there’s an overlap in how he approaches both. “It’s all art and entertainment, and I love both equally,” he says. “My mum always told me to find whatever it is you really love to do and then try and make a job out of it. I think I have been really lucky because I have two job roles essentially that allow me to be creative and have so much fun at the same time. Even when we have hard scenes and long days on set, I really do love being an actor, and it’s the same for music. I just feel really grateful I get to do both.”

With over a decade of experience behind him (and having grown up in the business), his perspective as a performer has naturally shifted. The way he approaches creativity, the way he learns on set, the choices he makes in the moment—they’ve organically evolved with time. But one thing remains the same, and it’s the desire to evolve and expand his skill set. “I don’t really pay attention to the evidence of my growth. I’m quite self-critical about everything I do, to be honest. So most of my time is spent looking at where I messed up or what I could change for the next project I do,” Barratt notes. “I guess that’s the way I push myself to grow—and always wanting to do better will continue to be my main focus for my career.”

He also doesn’t chart his career as an actor based on genre or image. What draws him in now is harder to define: emotional stakes, heightened romance, ambiguity, characters with cracks. The kinds of stories he wants to tell live in the grey. “I always loved those indie, European-style, StudioCanal-esque love stories [like] Call Me By Your Name. This isn’t the only thing I’d like to work on, but I’m for sure into my romantic films,” he admits. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years now, but I’m only really scratching the surface of [getting to work within] these different genres. Like any actor, I’m sure, I am open to working on every kind of character or film genre because what’s the point in doing this job if you’re only willing to make one kind of movie?”

For actors just starting out—especially those entering the industry as young as he did—Barratt offers a few grounded words. And his advice doesn’t come from a place of theory, but from lived-in experience. “This job isn’t going to happen overnight; it’s quite a lot of hard work and getting used to being rejected. I guess use that as a fuel for the next audition or opportunity that comes up.” The Bring Her Back star continues, “I have a little book of Bowie quotes and in an interview, he once said something along the lines of ‘make art for you (that you like), not for anyone else’ because that’s essentially what this is.”

Barratt also highlights the importance of preserving cinema's cultural impact for the next generation of actors, emphasizing, “And while I’m sharing advice with younger actors, I’ll say we need to keep the ‘going to the cinema’ culture alive. So, take a mate to the theater as much as possible, and when you can’t, watch as many good movies as you can. Whether it feels like it’s making a difference or not, it will enhance your performance and deepen your understanding as an actor.”

With standout roles and new music on the horizon, Barratt is carving out a path that’s anything but ordinary. His work—whether on screen or behind the mic—is driven by instinct, honesty, and a clear desire to push creative boundaries. He’s not interested in playing it safe; he’s here to challenge himself, and his audience, every step of the way.

A24’s twisted new film, Bring Her Back, is in theaters now.