Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Barrett D. Carroll. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Barrett D. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I certainly have felt misunderstood or mischaracterized in my creative work, from a couple different stand points.

I grew up ultra religious in Oklahoma being “Homeschooled.” It was a very intense childhood in which I experienced a lot of abuse and for the most part was very limited regarding who I could be friends with or what I could do. Growing up in that sort of isolated way already creates a feeling of being different and “other than.” Despite the lack of schooling and religious nature of my family, we had extended family who work in country music and a couple of cousins who were actors. Both of my parents loved music and opera and from my earliest memories I had a desire to tell stories and perform. As a little kid, occasionally there were opportunities that would open up for me to be in a music video or commercial or work at a theatre and mostly with the encouragement of my mother, I was eventually allowed to work in those environments more consistently which allowed for me to be around more adults and children who obviously had a very different world view than the way I was being raised. This exposure helped me develop in many ways and build friendships for the first time but it also left me realizing how very different I was from a lot of other people. Having any sort of queer identity is already a challenge for many people especially in the south but ESPECIALLY when coming from a religious extremist background. I never quite felt like i fit in with the actor kids around me because they had generally regular lives and were freely expressive with really supportive parents and were allowed to date and watch Disney movies etc. and simultaneously the other kids I knew me who weren’t performers were into very traditional sports and riding dirt bikes and were very much a part of the Oklahoma culture around them. Often times my lack of education or my lack of exposure to things led people to judging me or misunderstanding me or me saying things I shouldn’t have said, simply because my world view had been so limited. As I grew older, leaving home at 16 and pursuing a career as a performer, I continued to feel misunderstood not only as a human being from my family and colleagues but also as a performer. I grew up singing and worked a lot as a singer as a child and so my voice change was a really rough experience for me because that was a challenge for me and where my sense of identity came from. I knew what my interests were in life but when it comes to being queer, or gay or bi or whatever you want to call it….I only recently, in my late 20s began to really come to terms with it. At different times in my life I have had different major influences as I struggled to find who I was and what my real personality was and so many times I would have agents or casting directors assume I was gay when I wasn’t sure I was and people would tell me to be more masculine but then as I got older, the opposite began happening as well. As I have become more confident in my identity and have settled down some, i have also experienced the opposite when if I have spoken about being queer, people have accused me of “queer baiting” where people think I’m not telling the truth because I don’t come across in what ever way they deem to be “expressive enough” when in reality, I am just being the most authentic version of myself that I have ever been. Since I have been in this industry a while it is just funny to see the shifts from being told I’m too much of something to being told I’m not enough of the opposite which I find to be so ironic because I am just a human who loves telling stories and loves performing and since childhood until now….that hasn’t changed. I am not one singular thing. I grew up in church but I also grew up in the theatre. I grew up dancing and singing but I also grew up building carburetors for engines instead of going to school. I grew up privileged in many ways compared to others but I also grew up sleeping on a cot be in the laundry room terrified to make any sort of wrong move as a child. Even in recent years, I had videos on social media that were seen millions of times in which I was advocating against child abuse and while many people supported me, literally millions of people made fun of me because people assumed I had never been “disciplined” as a child and that’s why I was saying what I said but in reality it was quite the opposite. Everyone’s life is different and I always want my experiences to influence my art in some way. Whether people misunderstand you for a time or for forever, as long as you know the why behind what you are doing or saying, there will always be people who WANT to understand you and know you more deeply even if some don’t. I believe authenticity shines brighter than anything and if people misunderstand you….that’s ok, let them learn…or don’t but just keep being true to your journey because only you know what your true intentions are and what your true story is as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My great uncle was Dolly Parton’s manager for over 50 years and so I had an up close view of the entertainment industry from a pretty early age. Although my uncle was in Nashville, there are a lot of country music singers who are from Oklahoma….like A LOT. So starting off when I was three I appeared in a music Video along side my sister for Vince Gill and after that I did a few other commercials as a kid and then I began singing more….and both sides of my family were singers. Some just for fun and community but several professional singers as well. My parents actually met, playing in a band together. So I would say music was always a very big part of my life and it led me to performing with a lot of people around Oklahoma and surrounding states. When my voice changed it was a little rough and so I already knew I wanted to pursue a career as a performer, so I took that time to really focus on dance and getting in classes and then began working professionally more and more in the theatre and eventually went to college for Musical Theatre. While in college I began doing more commercials again, which is really what financially sustained me for a while as well as getting into more film and TV and i have been performing as much as possible ever since. I have also always been a writer and love telling stories as a whole and while I never used to consider myself a writer because I mostly did it in private over the last few years, my passion for it has grown greatly and I was able to write, illustrate and publish and best selling children’s book and I am currently working on an upcoming book series as well as two feature length scripts. At times when I wasn’t working as an actor, I have had a wide variety of jobs but I worked as a child care taker and personal assistant for many years which helped develop my mind for the children’s books and taught me a lot of organizational skills. In addition to that, during covid I made content online full time and while I don’t do it as much anymore for myself I have continued a passion for it because I believe social media can be such a beautiful tool and so I help manage and develop social media for brands and individuals. I am proud of all of the different types of work i have done, because i always carry my character and dedication into whatever work I am doing but I will say my first children’s book was extremely rewarding to have completed and put out into the world.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It drives me nuts when people say entertainment is dying or things like that. I get the struggle for sure. There are a lot of actors, writers, directors etc. and just not enough jobs for everyone BUT art has always been here. From 45,000 year old cave paintings to that damn AMC Nicole Kidman ad. Storytelling wont ever die but it has shifted over and over again. Artists are flexible and resilient and I think we have to remind ourselves of that. No matter what you are pursuing…you aren’t the first and you aren’t the last but you are unique and no one can offer what you can. So when it comes to society and supporting art, i think we have to remember that the fundamentals of story telling are to Entertain, Education & Empower people. If it isn’t doing at least one, if not all three of those things….than sure, I get dismissing it. However, despite the challenges this industry faces, there has never been a better time to create and tell stories. We are in a modern day renaissance and books, theatre, film, music, art….is and always has been important. People often dismiss the power it holds but story telling is what built society. Tribes sat around fires and danced and told stories of the stars and the Gods within them. Ancient Greek theatre not only made people laugh but made people cry and made audiences reflect on their purpose and mortality and helped evolve the minds of individuals to put themselves in other people’s shoes to debate how, why and which decisions should be made. Art is here to make us think, help us grow, leave us wondering and inspired. In Ancient Greece, politics shaped theatre and theatre shaped politics and even during the dark ages, despite the Church banning theatre. Actors still acted, painters still painted, singers still sang and those traveling minstrel shows kept people going. Everyone loves a good story whether ton escape or to see the world from a different perspective. We don’t know what being human is without the influence of art. So I think society has to continue cultivating the spaces and opportunities for art to be made because while it may not seem like THE most important thing……it is VERY important for the human Pschye.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I love learning people’s stories and learning about history and I also know what my story has been and the challenges I have faced that I never imagined and the brutal, beautiful and poetic way life hits us sometimes. I just know that I am here to tell stories and hopefully help people and inspire people along the way. I have a lot that I feel I need to say but I also have a lot of love to give and I relish in the collaborative journey especially with likeminded people. So if I am lucky enough to live a full like, I just hope I gave it all away….the love, the stories and my time on this earth. I just want to leave here empty handed.

Contact Info:

• Other: I am off all social media currently Taking a long break to focus on writing and self reflection.

Image Credits

Christopher Sheffield
Elif Sanem Karakoc
Alex De Koning