Exclusive Interview: Matt Barr Chats Blood & Treasure, Walker: Independence, and More

Matt Barr is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. He’s starred in projects including One Tree Hill, Harper’s Island, Hellcats, and Valor.

Currently, he can be seen reprising his role as the adventurous Danny McNamara in Season 2 of Blood & Treasure and will next be seen in the highly-anticipated, Walker: Independence.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Matt about his journey in the industry, Blood & Treasure, and Walker: Independence.

PC: You’ve been a part of this industry for almost two decades. Has anything surprised you about your journey thus far?
Matt: Oh, wow. That’s a great question. As a kid, I always heard that Hollywood was brutal, very selfish, and self-absorbed. What I’ve found is that 98% of people here are really wonderful human beings that love what they do and work really hard. They’re really passionate about making movies and shows. That surprised me. There are a few bad eggs out there, but most people have been really, really, really delightful and fun to collaborate with.

PC: You’ve had so much success already in your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out?
Matt: I’ve told this story a few times, but I always wanted to work with Kevin Costner. He is a big hero of mine. I think over the years, I’ve always been chasing that project with him. Then one day, it arrived. We were standing there in Romania on set. I was staring at Kevin doing a beautiful scene and I was like, “I’m in the middle of my dream right now.” It was pretty cool. If you target what you want, it’s amazing how close you might get to it.

PC: In addition to the incredible work that you’ve done on screen, you’ve also recently got into producing. How has your experience working behind the camera impacted the way that you approach your work as an actor and vice versa?
Matt: That’s another great question. When you’re producing something, you’re so deeply involved with every department in the process. For the first time, I got to really immerse myself in the different facets of filmmaking that I had only maybe touched before or had a very superficial understanding of. Understanding how those departments work and the idiosyncrasies of what makes them really efficient has made me a better actor in terms of dealing with the camera, writers, and lighting. Even producing, you learn more about financing and how to make days, how to make a dollar stretch, and how to get creative and reshape a scene to save a buck here and there. It’s made me a more well-rounded actor.

PC: You’re one of the stars of Blood & Treasure, and we’re approaching the tail end of Season 2. What can you tease about what fans can expect from the final episodes of Season 2?
Matt: We went big in this second season. We went to a lot of places in Season 1, so we wanted to have a slow burn in Season 2 where Danny and Lexi are searching for the banner of Genghis Khan. It’s all colliding. The action ramps up and so does the scope of the production. We were all over Thailand. We were at the top of skyscrapers. We were in the jungles of Thailand. The production value is incredible. You can’t miss it when you have ninjas, snakes, and helicopters.

PC: At the start of Season 2, we see the aftermath of the betrayal from Season 1 and how it affects your character. You handle that with so much nuance. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that arc?
Matt: When we meet Danny in Season 2, he’s dealing with immense PTSD from the betrayal of Reece. It’s sort of his Achilles’ heel throughout his life. It’s this idea that he can’t count on anyone and that everyone he knows will abandon him. If he wants to take it to the next level with Lexi, we all know that relationships are built on trust. He has to take this leap of faith. He’s struggling with that. That’s a big part of the arc of this season. Are he and Lexi going to root themselves and find that trust so they can have a chance at something deeper and more meaningful?

We’ve all experienced types of betrayals in our lives. I’ve experienced a couple of them that really hurt. I was able to connect with that. It turns you upside down. Even though everyone’s experience is different and it might seem petty to certain people, it’s your true experience at that moment. It’s fun to see what happens between Danny and Lexi in these thirteen episodes of Season 2.

PC: We’ve seen this evolution between Danny and Lexi from Season 1 to Season 2. What has it been like getting to collaborate with Sofia [Pernas] as you’ve brought this dynamic to life?
Matt: It’s funny. It’s somewhat like life imitates art. You meet as actors, you become friends, and you become collaborators. We traveled the world together for years, connected, and got to trust each other. In Season 2, it was just coming back to the table and learning how to continue to take these risks, trust each other, and try to up our game and support each other. She makes me better. I hope I do the same with her. Danny and Lexi bring out these qualities in each other. Sofia is such a fearless actor. I like that she brings that out of me. She’ll jump and try anything. It’s definitely made me a bit more fearless and dynamic.

PC: This show’s been so incredibly well received. If we’re lucky enough to get a third season, where do you want to see Danny’s storyline head?
Matt: I want Danny and Lexi to have a baby. I think it would create a fun dynamic seeing them as parents because that’s a whole new set of challenges and trust needed. I’m not a parent yet, but I can imagine when you look at your kids, you see so much of yourself in them. Danny and Lexi are such strong characters and different beings. It’d be fun to see a mixture of those two in a kid.

PC: You’ve also got another project coming out, Walker: Independence, and this series is an opportunity to really introduce the Western genre to a new audience. What is it about the Western that excites you as a creative?
Matt: I always thought Westerns are a very simplified sandbox of our culture. We’ve gotten a lot more sophisticated in life, but we’re still fighting, dying, and living for the same things. It’s about love, family, land, honor, and your name. That’s where nothing has changed. There’s something that’s very black and white in the West. It’s wickedly satisfying to watch that. There’s this sense of immediate action and eye for an eye with Westerns. If someone steals your cow, you steal their cow. There’s something about living vicariously through a time when people handled stuff in the moment. I find that to be really satisfying. Also, there’s nothing more romantic than horses on a screen. It’s such a beautiful, beautiful thing. We have a lot of horses on Walker: Independence.

PC: When Walker: Independence premieres in October, what are you most excited for fans to see? If you had to describe the first season in a sentence, what would it be?
Matt: We’ve got a really diverse group of characters. This is organic for the time. It was this melting pot for culture. You had Native Americans. You had the Chinese. There were Black cowboys. It’s fun to see this diverse group of characters that are all trying to find themselves in this little town that represents the American Dream. That’s why we came west. It was like you can build whatever you want for yourself. That’s the broad strokes of what Season 1 is.

Hoyt may be one of the most dynamic characters that I’ve ever had a chance to play. He’s wickedly funny and equally pathetic at times, but there’s also this sense of nobility that’s redeeming. It’s fun to watch him make so many poor decisions yet somehow he has this North Star that’s guiding his soul. He’s a powerful character.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. As you look ahead to the next five to ten years, is there a dream role or story that you would love to bring to life on the stage or screen?
Matt: What a great question. You know what I’ve always wanted to do? I’ve always wanted to do an underwater movie. Waterworld is one of my favorite movies. I actually talked to Costner about it. There’s something about water, boats, and scuba gear. I think James Cameron pulled it off with The Abyss. I’m kind of a nerd about sharks. Maybe it’s time for Jaws meets The Abyss meets Waterworld.

To keep up with Matt, follow him on Instagram. Watch Blood & Treasure on Paramount+. Walker: Independence premieres October 6 on the CW.

Photo Credit: Gail Schulman/Paramount+