Pop Culturalist Chats with UnREAL’s Bart Edwards

English actor Bart Edwards is a next generation leading man who’s taken the industry by storm. As a young boy, he discovered his love for authentic storytelling. It’s that passion that’s landed him roles on EastEnders, Peep Show, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and, now, Lifetime’s award-winning program UnREAL. In the series, he plays a hotshot investment banker who may or may not be there for all the right reasons. Like his character, Bart is young, talented, and incredibly charismatic.

We spoke with Bart about his character’s storyline this season, what his tagline would be if he were a contestant on the show, and his advice for any young actor starting out in the business.

UnREAL Questions

PC: Tell us about UnREAL, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Bart: I was drawn to this project because I was a huge fan of the first season, which I caught over in the U.K. It was a blast to film. This season, they brought in a lot of guys from all over the world—Russia, Australia, New York, and England. It’s rare when you can bring this many people together and everyone gets along.

My character is Jasper Hunt, and his initial intentions for being there now have been unraveled. He came on a bet! Now, it’s a question about whether Serena will find out or not. When Jasper first comes into the house, he’s very cocksure. He thinks it’s an absolute set win for him, but in the next five episodes, you’ll discover that there’s a bit more humanity to him than first appears.

PC: That was actually our next question! We know that Jasper doesn’t have the greatest intentions, but will he have a redeeming moment?
Bart: I think his redeeming moment will be viewed differently in different people’s eyes. In a way, he’s been pretty heartless. We have Serena who comes in with well intentions; she wants to find love and believes Jasper does too, but I don’t think anyone is completely evil. It’ll be nice to see the audience’s reaction when he tries to redeem himself.

PC: Once Jasper’s secret is revealed, the other contestants turn their back on him, and he kind of emerges as a villain. How did you prepare to step into his shoes?

Bart: [laughs] The villain! Well, I watched a lot of reality-based TV because I was quite interested in seeing how people conduct themselves on and off camera. For instance, on Pop Idol, they made Simon Cowell the evil, truthful one. On Everlasting, Quinn and Rachel have spent a lot of time arguing about who will be the evil one, and Jasper unwillingly fits that role for them. I wanted to portray Jasper as someone who you truly did believe was there for love, up until the point where you find out his secret.

Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss/Lifetime

PC: If you were a contestant on the show, what would your tagline be?
Bart: [laughs] That’s a crazy question! Hungry vegan looking for fine walks along the Norfolk Broads.

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“Hungry vegan looking for fine walks along the Norfolk Broads.”

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PC: As an actor, do you prefer to film overseas or closer to home?
Bart: I love a travel. I spent a lot of time in Hong Kong and South Korea. It’s amazing to travel around, meet other people, and learn about other cultures and how they view you. It’s nice to be home as well.

PC: Besides UnREAL, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about?
Bart: I do! I have an English-American-Norwegian series called State of Happiness or Lykkeland, depending on where it airs. It’s a true story about the oil boom throughout England in the late ’60s/early ’70s. We finished filming season one in December, and we’re going to Cannes with that in April.

PC: What drew you to that project?
Bart: I loved being able to play a Texan oil lawyer. I have a bit of family in America myself and a lot of them are based in Texas. It was interesting. In my career, I’ve played American, English, and a few other things, but to be able to play deep South was a joy. I loved being able to perfect the accent, and the fashion in the late ’60s was undeniably fantastic.

Career Questions

PC: When did you first realized you wanted to be an actor?
Bart: The second I was born! [laughs] No, I’m kidding. As a kid, I spent a lot of time trying to make people laugh—especially my classmates. I was pretty naughty in my lessons. I had a lot of interests as a kid. I used to write comedy sketches. I would give them to friends and perform them as well. I was better at that than pretty much anything else. Thankfully, people have continued to hire me to do it, which is a blessing.

PC: Do you have a dream role?
Bart: No, not really. Whenever I read or get a role, I think to myself, “can I do this and am I the right one for this?” Sometimes you look at the role and you’re like, “I can’t do this,” but then you want to challenge yourself. There’s been characters in books that I read as a kid that I would love to play and create. I loved reading those Raymond Chandler books. I think the dark film noir deserves a rebirth, but it would not necessarily be my dream role. The way that you tell a story is the most interesting thing to me.

PC: Do you have someone you’d love to collaborate with in the future?
Bart: A hell of a lot! Actually, a lot of the contemporary people that I’ve been working with at the moment are my friends who are writing, creating, and performing. I go to a lot of comedy nights on the weekends or a play reading that a friend has written. It’s a lot of those moments when you realize this is how it should be. We should be creating together. I’m excited for the next ten years and this next generation of creators. They’re killing it.

PC: What advice would you give to a young actor trying to get their start?
Bart: Stay true to the way that you want to tell the story. We all get inspired by what we see and what we hear. It’s exactly what my teacher [Toby] said about taking ideas and growing them. Be kind to everyone that you work with and be honorable. Don’t take the piss, and don’t let yourself down. Basically, don’t be a dickhead. If we can rid the idea that it’s okay to get to the top by any means necessary, then the world would be a much better place.

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“Stay true to the way that you want to tell the story.”

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Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Bart: It’s not actually a guilty pleasure, but I just binge-watched it two days ago—Queer Eye. The new series, honestly, may be one of the best things I’ve seen recently on television. Why are they killing me? Why are they all making me cry? [laughs]

PC: Favorite Book?
Bart: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Bart: Can I have more than one answer? Favorite musicals are The Last Five Years and something that I saw recently was Girl From the North Country. Go if you get the chance! They should be doing a transfer. It’s amazing.

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Bart: The spoken word! No, maybe Instagram. That’s a guilty pleasure!

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Bart: Ryuichi Sakamoto

PC: Last person you texted?
Bart: My good friend, Shazad Latif.

PC: Hidden talent?
Bart: I can make an ace drop noise by flicking my face and I sing a lot.

Make sure to follow Bart on Twitter and Instagram, and check out new episodes of UnREAL every Monday at 10/9c on Lifetime.

Photo Credit: Miles Twist