MovieChat Forums > Extras (2005) Discussion > Question about "Barry"/Sean /Eastenders

Question about "Barry"/Sean /Eastenders

posted 9 years ago by prabhunster
2 replies | jump to latest

In s02e01, the episode where Andy (Gervais) first starts filming his show; the whole thing's a mess and not at all what Andy envisioned/wanted.

Sean (Barry) notices Andy's frustration and explains a similar situation.

He said that his character, Barry on the Eastenders started out as a true acting role but was being transitioned into a one-dimensional character.

To inspire Andy to stand up for what he believes in, Sean says that he left the Eastenders, even though this was the peak of his career, but at least he'd maintain his integrity as an actor.

Since I've never seen the Eastenders, I didn't know if Sean's statement was supposed to be a joke or not. Meaning, did he actually choose to leave at the pinnacle of his career b/c of a dumb-downed change in his character? Or was Sean just make that whole thing up and actually left the show for a much more trivial (regrettable) reason.

If the latter were true, it would be even funnier when Andy quotes the "embellished" reason why Sean left Eastenders, when in reality Sean regrettably left the show for a stupid reason and every BBC crew member in the room knew that except for Andy.

Either way, I love Sean's character on Extras, he's brilliant!

Thanks!

[–] The_Kiz 9 years ago

I believe it was true that Sean left Eastenders as he wasn't happy about the direction the writers were taking his character, so in a way yes it's true. I feel that whole scene has some truth to it, but Andy then realises that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, when he realises that although Sean quit with his integrity, the aftermath wasn't as he'd hoped.

Twitter: @kieranthekiz

[–] prabhunster 9 years ago

Very keen observation, Kiz.

I had just initially thought that Andy realized the show would be bad after all the changes, but instead convinced himself he wouldn't be "sacrificing his integrity" by cancelling it, he acknowledged the show would be crap, but still a necessary evil in the greater scheme of advancing his acting career. I mean, it is true that a lot of celebs started in crap shows before being discovered.

But after reading what you said, I believe you are right. Andy wasn't really thinking in smart/logical steps of his career. He was just impetuous and assumed his future would be just like Sean's. It really is kind of depressing.

I don't know if Sean went on to bigger and better roles after Eastenders, but I really hope he did and that his character isn't a portrayal of his current career in real life.