Libe Barer
It's not a usual occurrence that a young actress gets her first real starring gig on a television show alongside the most master class of actors in the business, but, most actresses are not Libe Barer- who is easily poised to be the it girl of 2017. Possessing a certain charm that channels introspective actresses such as Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci, while still managing to be witty and funny in a way that Sara Gilbert always perfected, Barer is simply dominating her screen time on the Amazon hit Sneaky Pete- and lucky for fans, they show has already been picked up for a second season!
The dark dramedy took a long detour before finding it's home on Amazon, but after two years, the smart series proved it was well worth the wait as it came out grittier and richer than ever before, showcasing some of the best acting in the business from Giovanni Ribisi, to Marin Ireland, to Bryan Cranston, to Margo Martindale- and Barer is easily right in their esteemed league. The young actress is never out of place when acting alongside such tremendous talents, and if anything, she just demonstrates how much she is clearly in it for the long haul- soaking up every bit of their greatness as she builds a career that will surely have longevity.
As for that career, the intelligent young star hopes that the road before her is filled with roles that are meaty and feature powerful women- as she feels it is important on both a political level, and from a Hollywood standpoint. Sharp as a tact, the Sneaky Pete actress recognizes the many injustices toward women, and would love to help use her platform to raise awareness to them- especially through the characters she plays. And on top of that, the multi-talented Barer is not only great at acting, she is also quite gifted in song and dance well- making her a hot property for all the future musicals that are sure to be on their way.
With Sneaky Pete's second season being announced and all the praise the show has been getting, Tinsel Town's latest it-girl has taken some time to sit down and talk about her hot show, her amazing cast, what she would love to do in the future, and more! Read below to see what Barer has to say!
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So "Sneaky Pete" is finally back after much anticipation. Can you tell fans a bit about the show for those who are unfamiliar?
So, this is a show about a con man that gets out of jail and cons the wrong guys- which are essentially Bryan Cranston and that world. So, while he's on the run from them he takes the identity of his cell mate who has this strange family that he's talked about that he hasn't seen for about twenty years. He identifies himself as Pete- which he's not, and the family is also then involved with dark illegal stuff as well, so he spends his time balancing that world while trying to get his brother back from Bryan Cranston's world.
And can you tell fans a bit about your character in particular; Carly?
Carly is Pete's pretend cousin. She's the youngest of the three siblings in the family, and she sort of had to raise herself- her parents passed away when she was five. She's also gotten into some bad things, she's rebelling and she's gotten into stealing. She's basically trying to navigate herself through this world which she hasn't had much guidance in, and she simply wants more than she grew up with and the town she lives in.
There was certainly a long hiatus here. Can you clear up what happened?
So, initially the show had been for CBS- for what seems like a billion years ago, [Laughs], but in actuality what was two years ago. When we shot the pilot for CBS it was actually supposed to be more of a procedural series. After that, we were wondering what was going to happen, and Bryan and his producing partner, James Degus, sought to find a home for the show- and Amazon pretty much right away decided they wanted it. So, they aired the pilot with a few changes to make it slightly less network. They picked up the show and it was supposed to start shooting of February of this past year, but our showrunner at the time parted ways for creative reasons. In any event, Graham Yost came on- and he is amazing, and soon enough we were back up and running! But, it all took some time.
You're really working with first class talents here- Bryan Cranston, Margo Martindale, Marin Ireland, and the always amazing Giovanni Ribisi. Can you talk about your fantastic company?
It's been amazing. Every day is like a learning experience- I've really just been trying to learn and grow from working with all these great actors. They're all incredible. And what I really loved was how it was never just about what was on the page- we were always digging deeper to see how we can get the most rich world out of what was written. It was all very collaborative, and nothing was glossed over. Everything was talked about, there was tons of conversation. I just learned so much from working with them about how to make something really come to life and that was really exciting.
You've already worked with tons of talents and on tons of great projects like Shonda Rhimes on "Grey's Anatomy," Jason Katims on "Parenthood," and Sarah Wayne Callies on "Colony." What other kinds of roles would you love to play, and who else would you love to work with?
[Gushes humbly] Oh, wow, thanks! As far as the roles I would like to play, I'm really interested in unique roles for women. I think we're in an important time politically for women to have a voice, and I think those kind of roles are really powerful; the kind that make a statement about what it is to be a woman, and the strength they can have- so that's what I'm looking for. I just want meaty material that makes a difference. As far as who I'd like to work with, I have a long list of dream people such as Quentin Tarantino, and then like Tina Fey on opposite ends of the spectrum. I do a lot of comedy also- which was cool about Sneaky Pete- they really incorporate a lot of comedy within the drama, and it's great that they give me a chance to facilitate that.
You're also listed as a soprano/alto. Do you sing, and is there any chance we will see you sing for a role soon?
I do sing! I did a lot of musical theater when I was younger and I sang a lot in middle school, which gave me a lot of practice. As of now there is nothing in the works where I get to sing, but I'd like to! I also play guitar and ukulele. My sister is also an actor and we are in a band together, so, hopefully we can do something together, or release some music into the world soon!
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And with La La Land dominating Hollywood right now, it shouldn't be long until retro musicals are once again all the rage and this multi-talented it-girl is cast as one of the stars! Until then, catch Barer blend drama with comedy on Sneaky Pete!
Sneaky Pete is available for streaming on Amazon.