Raymond J. Barry on His Wild New Christmas Flick & Finding Exciting Roles at 85

If you need a break from warm and fuzzy holiday offerings, Freestyle Digital Media has a wild ride for you in the form of Filthy Animals. The comedy action drama set on Christmas Eve, centers on two outlaw misfits. Lars (Austan Wheeler), a thrill-seeking drug enthusiast, and his mama’s boy bodybuilder friend Freddy (Ryan Patrick Brown). They spend their days hunting down child sexual predators, which on the surface sounds noble but takes a devastating turn. 

Raymond J. Barry plays a repentant deviant who finds himself in the crosshairs of the duo. At 85, the prolific actor still enjoys digging into these multi-layered roles. Interestingly enough, Barry’s last Yuletide flick was the cult classic slasher Christmas Evil as Detective Gleason. These days TV viewers may recognize his work across genres from Gotham and 13 Reasons Why to Cold Case and Justified. 

Here Barry opens up about his latest part and storied career. 

What was your first impression when you read the script for Filthy Animals? 

Raymond J. Berry: It was, “Yes! I want to do this.” Also, part of it is survival. It was a gig, but once in a while, you have a script you really want to do. I feel that way about Filthy Animals. I gravitated toward the phenomenon of performing. I knew I would have a good time. 

You give a heart-wrenching performance. Here is someone who was categorized as a sexual predator, but someone who had a rough upbringing, went to prison, and endured all these things. What was it like digging into the torment he was feeling? 

You mention prisons. I did theater workshops in the Sing Sing Penitentiary in New York. Most of those who participated committed some offense. I have a vivid memory of the environment of being incarcerated. I’d take the train there three days a week and do my workshop. I would be enclosed in that environment for three or four hours. It left a profound impression on me. I could have committed a crime in my journey through life. By accident or being misdirected in some way. I was fortunate I never did, but I have played characters who have committed crimes. 

I’ve been around people who have experienced this. Many are okay and good people. I worked for a company called Street Theater. When guys came out of prison, I worked with them at a church and we made theater. We performed at the end of a truck and went to different neighborhoods and did our plays. I got to know them very well. These guys became my friends. My consciousness about the idea of incarcerated people was completely transformed. 

So you pulled from this experience? 

What I’m describing are decent guys who went off the track and got themselves in trouble. That can happen to anyone with the right influences. When it comes to this kind of role and acting, all you have to do is give yourself permission to be that person. That may be more complicated for some people. For me, it’s easy. I just pretend. 

Justified, Timothy Olyphant (L), Raymond J Barry (R), ‘Money Trap’, Season 4, Ep. #7, 02/19/2013, ©FX

How is it for you to still be getting these roles in your long career? What keeps you motivated at this stage of the game? 

I’m 85 years old. I love it. I’m also a painter. You can see my work on my website. When I’m not working as an actor, I’m painting. I like to keep busy. I’m a father with four kids. I have two sons and two daughters. It’s a major part of my life. I spend a lot of time with my kids playing basketball with them and so forth. I had to send each of them through college. Today that’s a major commitment because of the money involved. 

What’s the role you’re recognized the most for in public? 

Born on the Fourth of July, a movie Oliver Stone directed. Tom Cruise was my son. I actually have a scene in there I’m actually very proud of where I came to tears, which is not easy for me. Acting is acting, and I cried. I’m very proud of the work I did in that movie. Also, it’s a heavyweight film directed by a famous director Oliver Stone, who does great work. The scene I’m referring to is with Tom Cruise, who is a very good actor and a major movie star. The subject matter of the film is also important. Anti-war, that kind of thing. They play it every Fourth of July. I’t s a poignant film. If you work for Oliver Stone, you’re on tenterhooks. You want to do the right thing. 

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What about Pa Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story? 

 I loved doing The Dewey Cox Story.  “The wrong kid died!” I love that character. I had a lot of fun. 

What’s a project you’ve worked on that you feel is underrated? 

Interview with the Assassin is a less visible film. Interview with the Assassin is about the alleged gunman who shot President [John F.] Kennedy. It’s not a highly visible movie, but I played the alleged gunman. I had a lot of fun doing it. I have, I’m hesitant to say, the talent of playing bad people. This particular film I had a lot of fun with. 

Is there a role you haven’t done yet you want to do? 

I wrote a play in which I did 400 performances called Once in Doubt all over the country. It’s where I play a painter. I am a painter. Nobody cast me as an artist because of maybe the way I look or also there aren’t many parts written for artists, but I’d love to play a painter. 

Filthy Animals premiere, December 13, VOD and select theaters