Billy Barratt: Into the Dark, With Heart – On horror, music, and growing up in the spotlight

Words by Julia Radovich

Billy Barratt doesn’t come off like someone who won an International Emmy at 13. He talks about rejection, music, KFC, and the thrill of being scared on set – with the ease of someone who’s not chasing fame, just doing what he loves.

In his latest role in Bring Her Back, the upcoming A24 horror film directed by the Philippou brothers, Billy dives deep into fear, grief, and the bond between siblings – starring alongside the extraordinary Sally Hawkins.

The film is a raw and unsettling, but Billy brings something grounded to it. Something real.

Off-screen, he fronts the London-based band THE HUNGER, makes character playlists, finds calm in three-hour movies, and keeps the creativity going between roles by playing music for kids in the city. He’s grown up on sets – from Invasion to Big Fish – but still treats each project like a chance to learn.

In this interview for Vanity Teen, Billy reflects on the emotional power of horror, how music gets him into character, what it’s like acting with tennis balls that turn into aliens in post, and why rejection keeps him just as driven as success.

Your career took off when you won an International Emmy Award at just 13! That’s huge! Do you remember how that moment felt? And looking back now, how has it shaped your journey?

It was a trip for sure. I really didn’t see it coming. It happened during Covid, so the actual award ceremony was held on zoom and so it wasn’t like we could go out and party. I think we ordered a KFC to celebrate!
In terms of how it has helped shape my career, it created a new standard that I felt, and still feel, I must continue to work at. So I guess it’s kept me driven just as much as the constant rejection in auditions has over the years.

Bring Her Back looks like an intense ride, and you’re starring alongside the amazing Sally Hawkins! What was the vibe like on set? And what was it about this role that made you go, ‘I have to do this’?

I’d always been such a huge fan of the Racka Racka YouTube channel because of their ability to make it feel like I’m watching a short action film and less of the classic YouTube-style vlogging thing. I also found that Talk to Me was one of the most refreshing horror films l’d ever seen, so when they called me I was already very interested.
I was for sure quite nervous to work with Ms Hawkins herself, but I soon found out that she’s one of the sweetest, most down to earth people, who had so much experience on set that I became more eager to learn than to be nervous.
The ‘vibe’ on set would change during each scene. It felt like the whole crew would match the emotion the scenes required, and as an actor that was a massive help and made it feel like we were all really in this together. It took some getting used to because not all film sets feel like that, I must say.

The film’s storyline-siblings, rituals, horror-sounds wild. How did you mentally prepare for such a dark role? And were there any moments on set where you thought, ‘Okay, this is seriously creepy’?

There’s only so much preparation you can do for roles like this. I think my main focus was on finding Andy‘s bond with his sister Piper and working out what his reactions to the other characters would be. I will admit that there were days where l’d be by the monitors watching Jonah be Ollie and it would scare the hell out of me. Therefore, he killed it. I also remember wandering around on set and then hearing a blood curdling cry from Sally (during a take of course) which, as you can imagine, was also pretty unnerving.

You’ve been playing Caspar Morrow on Invasion for a while now.
How has he grown as a character, and what’s been the most exciting part of bringing him to life? Any favorite behind-the-scenes moments?

What I find interesting is how us kids have grown together even outside of shooting the show. I think our characters have just naturally grown with us as actual people. Of course, I can only speak for myself here but I’m pretty sure that’s right. Invasion is always a fun shoot, the sets are huge and as with all Sci Fi, there’s a lot of fighting with tennis balls (that become Aliens in post) – which is always quite funny!

You’re also the frontman of THE HUNGER. That’s so cool! Does being in a band change the way you approach acting?

No not really. I think the fact that I’m doing both but separately is great. It can get quite scary when you’ve got nothing going on in between acting jobs and so writing and playing for the kids in London is a great way for us to keep the creativity alive.
I say they’re separate but Danny and Michael have put like five seconds worth of one of our songs into Bring Her Back. Anyway, I’m very grateful to have the band that we have. Milly, Bruno and Codes… they’re the best man!

Do you ever find yourself using music to help into character? You’ve done stage work too – like Big Fish in the West End. What’s the biggest difference between performing live and acting on set? Do you get the same kind of adrenaline rush?

That’s one of the first things I do to prep for a character. I put a playlist of music together for them which then sort of switches me into that person.
Although, I’m noticing there’s a lot of the same songs going onto these playlists, so l’m starting to think that I’m just making the same playlists of music that I really like!
Big Fish was so long ago, and l’ve just found one of the original programs for it while moving house. It was about 8 years ago now (I was 10) and I just remember repeatedly telling myself not to screw up because ‘you will be laughed at’. Sure enough, I fell over on stage one night and heard a couple of giggles.
There are the obvious differences between stage and film. The ‘less is more’ saying doesn’t really apply with theatre, especially a musical, but with film, it totally does and for me I’m enjoying shooting movies at the moment. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to give theatre a try again but just not right now.

If you could pick any role or work with any director or actor in the world, what’s at the top of your wish list? Dream big!

I’m a massive Taratino and Scorsese fan and so I would love to do a film with one of them although I think I heard somewhere that they’re both thinking about retiring soon, so that dream might be over. On the other hand, Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t retiring anytime soon, so if you know him tell him to give me a shout!

When you’re not on set or making music, what’s your escape? How do you unwind and recharge?

I’d like to say sleep but I’m only recently getting good at that. I love to watch other bands play in my local area or even just sit at home and watch a 3 hour movie.

And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out in acting? Maybe something you wish you knew when you first began?

It might sound cliché, but this isn’t an overnight thing and there will be a lot of rejection.
So, get used to that and being okay with the fact that you just weren’t right for a role. The right one will find you as long as you keep going.

TEAM CREDITS

Talent: Billy Barratt at Public Eye Communications
Photographer: David Reiss
Stylist: Steven Huang
Grooming: Ben Talbott
Stylist Assistant: Lewis Stratton

Fashion Editor: Corinna Fusco