Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Birch’s Dempsey Bryk

Dempsey Bryk is one of the breakout stars of the new horror series, The Birch. Airing exclusively on Facebook Watch, The Birch follows three teenagers whose lives intersect around the presence of a blood-thirsty monster lurking in the woods. Dempsey’s character, Thurston, is a young man who’s forced into a life of crime as a means of survival. Pop Culturalist caught up with the talented up-and-comer to chat all things The Birch.

PC: Tell us about The Birch, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Dempsey: My character’s name is Thurston. He’s a small-town drug dealer. He’s forced to live with his uncle and younger brother because their parents are gone. His world starts to fall apart because of a drug deal gone wrong and also because of the Birch. The Birch is a monster who seizes control. He’s essentially trying to save his own life and his brother’s.

I think what’s so interesting about this series is these characters. No one is good or evil. Everybody does bad things, but they have good intentions. My character does bad things with the drug deals, but he’s also trying to help him and his brother escape the situation they’re in. The series is very grounded in reality.

PC: The series is being adapted from a short film. How familiar were you with the source material?
Dempsey: [laughs] I actually didn’t see the short film until I was a bit far along in the process. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I had already gone out a couple of times before I found it. It was close to the last chemistry read. It was really interesting to see how the short film compared with the scripts that I read.

PC: The writers do a fantastic job creating these three-dimensional characters, particularly with your character. Which of Thurston’s layers was your favorite to explore and why? Which was the most challenging?

Dempsey: Thurston has a younger brother who he’s very protective of. I have younger siblings also, so I was able to draw parallels there. That was something that was really interesting to me. Gavin is Thurston’s younger who’s played by Tucker Lipp. We became brothers on set. This is actually one of his biggest roles. The relationship between the characters was similar to the relationship I had with Tucker.

The most difficult part was exploring the darkness. Thurston’s in a tough situation. His parents are gone. He’s someone who’s pushed to his breaking point. That’s when everything in his life is taken away. The question that presents itself is what do you have when everything’s taken away from you? It was difficult to imagine myself in that situation.

PC: In the series, Evie finds herself in this moral dilemma. She has the power to rid the world of all the evil people but at a cost. If the roles were reversed, what would Thurston have done?

Dempsey: That’s a good question. There’s a lot of guilt surrounding that. On one side, you’re doing something good. But there’s a lot of emotional weight when you consider everything. Thurston is self-motivated. He just wants him and his brother to be free from this rough situation they’re in. I think Thurston would have done anything to free himself from the situation with his uncle. When you’re in this survival mode, you don’t ask yourself these philosophical questions.

PC: The Birch is airing on Facebook Watch. Are there any major differences when you’re working on a streaming platform as opposed to network television?

Dempsey: I think there are major differences, but I don’t think they’re contingent on where it’s airing. The production felt like an indie film. Everyone was very emotionally invested. It made it very different and special.

PC: As an actor, how are platforms like Facebook Watch changing the industry and how we consume media?

Dempsey: They’re really changing the stories that are being told. These platforms are opening the door for new and different voices. There’s a little bit more freedom in what’s marketable and what’s profitable. It’s given actors the chance to tell more diverse stories.

PC: Besides The Birch, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about? We heard you’re developing your first feature.

Dempsey: Absolutely! I’m rehearsing for a play right now in Los Angeles called Punkplay. That’s playing at the Circle X Theater. I’m also developing my first feature. It’s about a teenager in high school. It’s high school through a different lens. Everyone has different ways they view high school and the story is about my point of view.

Pop-Cuulturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Dempsey: Jake and Amir! It was so funny that I had to quit watching it and TV altogether. It’s not even a TV show. [laughs]

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Dempsey: Miss Congeniality! Sandra Bullock jedi mind-tricked me into falling in love with her right away.

PC: Favorite book?
Dempsey: Franny And Zooey

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Dempsey: Punkplay [laughs] I’m just kidding. Glengarry Glen Ross!

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Dempsey: My Spotify playlist is half Phoebe Bridgers and half Lizzo. And it’s all Blink-182.

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Dempsey: Jake and Amir and Community

PC: Hidden talent?
Dempsey: I can do a great Shia LaBeouf impression.

To keep up with Dempsey, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch The Birch on Facebook Watch.