Rising star Tuwaine Barrett is carving out a lane of his own.

Fresh off the buzz of his latest critically acclaimed film ‘Hard Truths,’ the London-born actor is proving he’s not just one to watch — he’s one to remember. With a captivating screen presence and a growing list of credits that speak volumes, Barrett delivers a gripping performance in the emotionally-charged drama that’s got both critics and fans talking.

Indeed, the Mike Leigh film has generated buzz by way of a myriad of award wins as well as nominations at the BAFTAs and Critics Choice Movie Awards.

In an exclusive sit-down with That Grape Juice’s Nadia Mumuni, the multi-talented actor opens up about the challenges of stepping into such a complex role, the importance of authentic storytelling, and what he has learned from the profound experience.

Read the interview below.

That Grape Juice: What was your initial reaction when you read the script?

Tuwaine Barrett: The great thing is that there was no script that came to me because the way that Mike works is, we come together as a cast, first and foremost just to meet everyone. And then we kind of go off for like a few weeks and just work solely with Mike on building a character.

And then within building that character and working on that, there’s this person that we’ve created. He then believes to try and intertwine our characters into one another’s lives, if they were in one another’s eyes. And then after that, he goes off and we have a break. And then he goes off and comes back with scenarios.

So then with those scenarios, that’s where the script comes. Because then we’re able to improvise said scenarios. So, let’s say, for example, Moses and Pansy are in the house. And then that interaction between those two people creates the script. So, to answer your question, I think the script came from us and Mike Leigh. But I think the script is within meeting those characters and working with those actors because we are essentially creating our own work.

That Grape Juice: What was the process like trying to find the inspiration for your character?

Tuwaine Barrett: It was difficult. It was my first time ever working with Mike. And you hear about this man at drama school, and you hear about this man, but when it comes to acting, these are the kind of people you need to aspire to work with. So, when it happened, I was kind of shook. I don’t want to say kind of. I was shook! But what made it really nice was speaking to, let’s say, someone like Marianne [Jean-Baptiste], whom I had worked with previously. She’s like, ‘shut up, like just enjoy it. Just enjoy the process of working with him and trust him.’ And that was the biggest thing for me.

For this particular character, I brought a list of – I think I had over eighty black males whom I knew. And that was just off the top of my head.

And when we were going through the names, it was like a lot of these people seemed to be quite successful. And he was like, ‘yeah, yeah, but have you got anyone that you went to school with, or anyone that, and he put it just plainly, anyone that was a loser.’

You feel bad for thinking about that. And I didn’t want to judge people, right? But like, obviously, we all did when we were younger. Like it was cool. You had to wear Kickers (trainers), you had to wear the cool stuff, you know what I mean? So, I had people in mind. And from that, I took three people that I knew and took certain traits, characteristics, mannerisms, all this stuff. And then put them into one person, and that became Moses.

That Grape Juice: How important was body language and emotion when portraying Moses?

Tuwaine Barrett: It was so important because I didn’t want to portray Moses as a 2D person because to me, he was real. And in any walk of life that you meet people who are like Moses and they’re not 2D. You take them aside, you can try and have a word with them, and you may get something in this. And that for me was the most important thing. I didn’t want to basically stay still in the silence. I wanted to still give Moses life and reaction and reaction to the world and to the people that surrounded him.

I will tell you this. It was much sweeter doing that, having the time that I had to create him. I think if we jumped in straight away, it would have been much more difficult because I would not have known anything. I would have just been kind of like grabbing at anything really. So, it was nice to have that foundation ready. So, when we came to filming, I wasn’t thinking about, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m going to look on camera.’ I’m just trying to tell a story. And it’s not Tuwaine anymore. It’s Moses. So whatever insecurities I have, they’re different to Moses. So, let me try and put that out of the door and see what Moses can bring to the table. And hopefully he brought a lot.

That Grape Juice: Were there any challenges you faced during this project, and how did you overcome them?

Tuwaine Barrett: Yes. My biggest obstacle, so to speak, was keeping [self] suppressed because there were moments where, in rehearsals, if there was a moment between Pansy and Moses, I would get in my head and be like, ‘Ah, really think he would say something here?’

And you can imagine, he’s dealt with someone like Pansy being his mother his whole life. And I haven’t. I’ve been very fortunate. That was difficult because I wanted him to, not like he didn’t have a backbone, but I wanted him to fight. So, I was constantly trying to suppress my own thoughts and feelings on the situations I was acting out.. And then the one thing, because at drama school, I was taught that when it comes to improvisation, whenever someone gives you something, give them something back.

And I remember I did that, and Mike took me away, and he was like, ‘Oh, why did you feel the need to respond to that improvisation?’ And I was like, because in drama school, that’s what we did. And he literally looked me in my eye and said, ‘if that’s your way of thinking, you’re off the picture.’ And that’s when I realized. I said to myself, ‘Oh, okay, there’s a difference.’ It’s not all ‘yes and’ because in real life, it’s not all ‘yes and.’

So, that gave me a whole new outlook on how to approach improv in general. So, that helped a lot.

That Grape Juice: Can you speak to what you think were some of Moses’ ambitions and hopes and dreams?

Tuwaine Barrett: I think his love for flying and his love for playing video games is an escape. And when it comes to the whole flying thing, he just wants to leave. There’s no real thinking about, ‘oh, what do I want to do in life?’ I think he just wants to escape. So, when it comes to his love for flying or his love for listening to music, headphones on in the house and … just own bubble. So, no real ambitions, but just to get away. Just to bounce.

That Grape Juice: You worked with a very talented cast with many years of experience like Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, Llewella Gideon what is something you learned from them whilst filming?

Tuwaine Barrett: Everyone, especially the ones who have worked with Mike before, I loved just how much fun they have and how much love they have for one another. Because I always get nervous, I am like, ‘oh boy. Surely that hatred that you’re playing can leak into real life.’ Nah, not at all. Like, those two are genuinely like sisters.

The motherly relationship was a highlight too. Marianne would tell me off if I had said something stupid. And Michelle would play-punch in my arm… we’re not playing ourselves. As Mike says, he calls us character actors. People are able to become other people.

But when it came to breaking out of character at key points. In between scenes, we’re creasing (laughing). I mean, we’re having the time of our lives. Like, we’re just grateful to be around one another and also to work with people that we love. And then when it came to it and zooming back into performing, Boom! We’re back in the room, and then it’s almost like…I don’t recognize anyone.

And that for me was so enriching, and I was so gassed.

*************

‘Hard Truths’ is available to buy or rent now, and to own on physical.

Your thoughts?

The post Exclusive: ‘Hard Truths’ Star Tuwaine Barrett on Starring in the Award-Winning Drama appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?.