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Tidning: Urban Malte Magazine
Pepper brilliantly portrayed the bible-quoting sniper Pvt. Roy Jackson, and it was a role that attracted a lot of attention. "I think it was a character that a lot of people fantasized themselves to be like," Pepper says, "although I wouldn't fool myself to say that I would be like Jackson in wartime. I think that all of us have the possibility of having both sides to us, to show cowardice and fear, and also triumph heroically." In real life Pepper definitely shows signs of this broad range, for there is little way of pigeon-holing this free-spirited actor. For one thing, he is a man's man. The kind of guy who is passionate for the outdoors and can often be found fly-fishing, rock climbing, or hunting. He's the kind of breed that other guys want to hang with, and women want to be with. Too bad for the swooning ladies, though -- Barry is a very devoted married man. He is also a talented writer who is currently finishing his first screenplay with a close friend, and an accomplished artist who paints, draws, woodworks and sculpts. As if that weren't enough, his voice is soulful and beautifully poetic. There is almost a lyrical content to the way in which Pepper speaks. Everything he says should be typed out and put on the fridge as sort of a daily mantra. At least, this is the effect he is having on me. "I try not to describe myself," Pepper interjects. "I'm an ever-changing, ever-blossoming creature. Every day I seem to learn something new about myself that I didn't know the day before." One thing is crystal-clear as I begin my phone call with Pepper -- he is a busy man in serious demand. It is a week before he begins shooting the new film Battlefield Earth in Montreal with John Travolta, and there are a myriad of loose ends to deal with before he leaves home base. Our interview is often interrupted by the orchestra-like fusion of beepers and other phone lines going off in his Vancouver home. "Oh man," Pepper groans at the numerous distractions, "I can't get any frickin' peace..." Although his schedule is getting increasingly hectic, Pepper likes to surround himself with a peaceful environment as often as he can. "I'm working with a trainer right now to really get the discipline that I need in my life. I've always eaten really healthy and always tried to work out every day, but it's just nice to have somebody tapping you on the shoulder saying, 'c'mon let's go!'" When he's not busy auditioning in L.A., Pepper can still be found living in Vancouver with his wife Cindy, who designs her own line of furniture. We begin chatting about his city and why he chooses to remain there. "Vancouver is surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains and ocean and rain forest," Pepper begins. "There's just so much beauty here! The air is really clean, the people are nice. I just have a really strong kinship to this city. I am definitely Canadian through and through." He breaks out in song: "The true north strong and free, baby! My home and native land!" Now his house has fallen quiet. The phone have stopped ringing and Pepper sounds more relaxed. We continue to talk about the plight of the Canadian actor. "I know several actors who have stayed [in Canada] and decided not to go to Los Angeles. They are doing very well and make a really good living. I don't think it's ultimately necessary [to leave]. If you want to be embraced by the higher profile projects and a higher salary, then L.A. is the market for that. But it's slowly building. In the past Canada didn't really embrace their performers and the only home for them was L.A. 'cause it really represented the world market. It's just unfortunate that Canada doesn't realize what it has. It's definitely changing though, and changing for the better."
"Looking back now," Pepper reflects, "it's much more special. As a kid you're so resilient and flexible I thought that was the way everybody lived. Living the way I do now in this city, in a really fast paced and high-energy business, I really yearn for those days. I think it was a wonderful way to grow up." After they returned home to their Vancouver farm, Pepper's grades from his round-the-world schooling allowed him to attend high school in an advanced grade. Pepper then went on to take first-year studies at two different colleges. Convinced that his future would be that of an artist, his major focus was graphic design and then business college, where he studied marketing management. Pepper wanted to learn how to build a strong business foundation for himself so that he could learn to market his own artwork. "I still am an artist and it still is a strong passion of mine. I plan to still do it, more so for myself and my own enjoyment." As to why his career plans went awry, Pepper jokes about what college life was like... "In college I majored in co-ed volleyball and hot-tub parties, so that was kind of the reason that it didn't work out that well. I just didn't find it fulfilling, so I answered an ad in the paper and found myself acting within the year. I had done high school and community plays in the past but I never really considered it a tangible career - - I thought it was only for the rich and famous." Pepper began acting in Vancouver on the award-winning television show Madison, where he had a recurring role for four years, and he also appeared in films and other television shows. Yet like most actors, he had his sights set on breaking into the American market. It was around this time that he and Ryan Reynolds got into his car and headed off to Hollywood. It was the long drive to L.A. that cemented his devotion to his Dodge Dart Swinger, which he has yet to replace and affectionately calls "Grace." I suddenly notice something else about Pepper: he has a thick Canadian accent. It's almost Fargo-like, yet not quite yahoo, and it surfaces the most when he talks about his car. "Oh yeaahhh Grace," Pepper says. "Same old Grace. She's in the repair shop right now getting some new brakes done. She's a FAN-tastic car. She has the original engine. She'll just run forever..." So, as our story continues, Pepper is in L.A. for pilot season where he auditions at the cattle call for the part of Roy Jackson in Saving Private Ryan. Ultimately he was called in to meet Steven Spielberg in person while the famed director was taking a break in between shooting Amistad. "He called, 'cut,' and shouted out, 'Bring Barry Pepper up on set' and I just sort of did a double-take wondering if he was talking about me. It was pretty mind-blowing...we chatted and he hired me right there." The first day on the set was nerve-wracking because it was Pepper's first large speaking part and he was the first person up to perform. "You're kind of captured by that energy on set that Steven creates around him, and it really heightens everybody to this much higher level. He really raises the bar. I was so fearful of screwing up in front of the 'master,'" Pepper admits. "There's no question about it...the man's a genius." The feeling is mutual. The "master" himself was quoted in a 1998 Venice Magazine interview saying, "Barry is a marvelous actor. He has such laser focus to his role and about his approach to acting. It was a wonderful experience working with him." It has also been rumored that Robert Duvall is a huge fan of Pepper's, saying that his portrayal of a southerner in Saving Private Ryan was surprisingly authentic. Does Pepper himself have a list of actors that he is fond of? "Meryl Streep and Harrison Ford. I also really think that Sean Penn is one of the strongest young actors ALIVE..." Next on Pepper's resume was Tony Scott's film Enemy of the State in which he played James Pratt. "I met with Tony Scott in London while I was filming Saving Private Ryan and we really hit it off. The experience of filming the movie was a dream come true."
"[Hanks] is fantastic!" Pepper raves. "He is very solicitous of everybody's input and ideas. He's just a warm and gentle man, very funny and affable and welcoming." I begin to wonder about how he keeps his relationships intact with such a busy itinerary. He explains to me where his loyalties remain. "A lot of my friends that I've had in the past are still my same old friends. The new friends that I've met along the way are few, because I try and give as much attention I can to the friends that I already have. When you live a really transient and crazy life, it's hard to give everybody the attention that they deserve," he says. "I've met a really amazing and eclectic group of people that I'll always be in contact with and will probably be a part of my life. But my really close and special friends are the ones that I've had from the days of 'eating the feathers instead of the chicken.'" Again I make one of my unsolicited observations. Barry Pepper has a great laugh. It's a slow throaty chuckle that is definitely infectious. He starts to get cheeky when he describes his friendship with Ryan Reynolds. "Ryan's got a great ass and nice dimples. (starts to laugh) I guess you're not sure which cheeks I'm talking about now." I tell him that I'm interested in both and to continue. "Ryan is really a good egg. We haven't actually known each other as long as some of my other friends, but I think it's the fact that we drove down to L.A. together and slugged it out in the trenches of L.A. during pilot season together. "It was hell. It was one of the hottest summers ever in recorded history and we were very supportive and really there for each other. That's what I always say about Ryan; he's just such a good solid friend, you can always depend on him to be very loving and supportive. He's just a really good guy." If you haven't noticed by now, I am trying hard not to flirt with Pepper, as he is a married man. We talk about how he met his significant other. "We went to high school together. it wasn't until a few years later that we actually got together, started dating and got married about three years later. She works really closely with me in the business. We're just very much in love. We're among the fortunate few to have met our soul mates." The current buzz on Pepper is that he is being hailed as filmdom's next big thing. One of his most recent accolades was presented by Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood cover shoot, which displayed Pepper with a number of other up-and-coming hopefuls. "I have a bit of a strategy or a mission," Pepper explains. "It entails building my reputation and my name in the world market for a couple of years before I feel like I can really lend to the Canadian market. "I feel like in order to help smaller or struggling projects here in Canada, that are indigenous to Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal...I think I need to build my name before I can truly help out." Hey, Barry? Consider yourself the poster child for helping out. You've done so much just by proudly wearing the maple leaf on your sleeve and we thank you. See you at the movies!
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Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors, yet I always believed that his best actor nomination in Saving Private Ryan went against the film's underlying message. The plot thrived on the idea that there was no one "best actor," but a collaborative, diversified cast of personalities all caught in the harrowing experience of war. One performance that stood out like a juggernaut was that of Canada's own Barry Pepper.
Barry Robert Pepper was born on April 4, 1970 in Campbell River, British Columbia and from early on his life was anything but conventional. In fact it was more like adventure of the Swiss Family Robinson. In 1975, his parents built a 50-foot sailboat and launched it into the coastal waters off of Vancouver Island. For five years they traveled down the coast of Canada to Mexico, across to the Marcase Islands and all through the South Pacific for the next three years after that. Pepper, along with his two older brothers, was educated partially by his parents and partially at schools where they stopped along the way; places like Rarotonga and New Zealand.
Pepper's next project re-teams him with Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Set in 1935 Louisiana, the film mostly takes place in the E-block of a prison's death row cells, where the condemned inmates await death by electric chair. He plays a guard alongside Tom Hanks, and I ask Pepper about working with the two-time Oscar winner.
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