ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Garrett Hedlund about the new crime thriller movie Barron’s Cove. Hedlund discussed what drew him to the project, how he got into the right headspace to play his character, and more.
“Barron’s Cove follows a father with a violent past (Hedlund) as he grieves the sudden loss of his only child,” the official synopsis reads. “Convinced of a cover-up and intent on obtaining answers about his son’s death, he kidnaps the troubled boy he holds responsible – the son of a prominent local politician – which ignites a media firestorm and frenzied manhunt. But as he grows ever closer to uncovering the truth, he is left to wonder whether his pursuers are really seeking to protect the boy, or merely the secrets he keeps.”
Barron’s Cove will be released in United States theaters and on VOD on June 6, 2025, by Well Go USA. An exclusive clip can be found below.
Brandon Schreur: Garrett, I want to ask about how it was that you got involved with this project, Barron’s Cove. It’s such a unique and interesting story. What was your reaction when you read the script for the first time, and what made you want to play this character?
Garrett Hedlund: I was reading the script, and my son was just nearing two years old. It started off pretty extreme. But I saw a father that was just trying to do, for once in his life, everything right for his son. That was something I could relate to. Towards the end of the script, there was something that was answered to Caleb, my character, that was so tender. Something that an officer tells him. It made me realize that the underbelly of Caleb, throughout this whole film and on his journey of revenge, was really just so vulnerably wondering if he was enough. If he was enough of a father.
This is a man who has done some severely distorted things. Those things have haunted him, he carries a lot of guilt for those things. He didn’t want them to repeat, certainly not for his son. I just thought that was so tender and unique that I wanted to explore that in this film.
And it posed the question to me, as I’m sure it will to the audience, of how far will you go for your child? How far is too far when you think you’re right? How far is too far when it comes to revenge? How far is too far involving guilt? What is the cost of carrying guilt, and what does it take to let it go? It was a unique palette to play with.
Sure, totally. And I loved that exploration of your character, which jumps into what I wanted to ask you next. Caleb is not a very happy guy throughout a lot of this movie. His life starts out, at least when this movie picks up, when things aren’t going so great. The plot kicks in, and we learn some things, we see some things, and his whole trajectory just seems to get worse and worse. Was that challenging for you, as an actor? Did you have to take yourself to a certain mindset to really get into character and play Caleb?
Considering the events, I feel it’s all quite justified. It’s quite justifiable. I wanted it to be an exhausting ride. I wanted to feel exhausted. I would complain to Evan if there was ever a night that I got good sleep. You want to give it your all. If there’s a reason for you to commit your time to something creatively, such as this, or to sacrifice anything, you want to give it your all. I want to give it my all.
I was really taken by Evan Kelman, our wonderful writer/director. I thought, for his age, he had written something not only so articulate, intelligent, and wise — all of the characters, all of their particular storylines, and the themes within the films. I just wanted to go on this journey with him. I’ve worked with a lot of first-time directors, and I’ve always had a similar belief in them. Or, I was inspired by what I thought they could do or what they thought they could do. I wanted to help make it come to fruition because I’ve been in that situation, hoping somebody would give me a chance or looking for your break. I wanted to go on this journey with Evan.
Totally. I loved Evan’s script so much, too, because I felt like it was so full of surprises. During the first act of the movie, I was like, ‘Okay, this terrible thing happened to your character’s son, he’s going to go full John Wick and get revenge.’ The movie isn’t that. But the second act kicks in, and I’m like, ‘Okay, he’s going to kidnap this other kid, and then it’s going to be a kidnapping movie where they’re on the run.’ And it’s really not that, either. I love a movie that’s full of surprises like this, and this one, I could never really figure out where it was going. Was there anything about this movie that surprised you, in the direction that it took? Or was there anything you learned about yourself throughout playing this character and all the different twists and turns that happen?
Yeah, I think it lends itself to keeping you at the edge of your seat, because you’re constantly trying to figure out, within yourself, who the villain is. Is it the boy who hurt the boy? Is it the man who kidnapped the boy? Is it the man who is after the man? Or is it the system that failed that man?
You know, I think those questions are what bring a story with such guilt, sorrow, and, ultimately, redemption to life. They can be as frustrating, vengeful, and rageful as trauma can be, in its own right. Caleb was a man who was filled with a great deal of trauma to start the film. He was already running from his guilt and his trauma. Now, he’s lost something so valuable. It’s like, ‘Jeez, what worse can happen?’ And it continues to unpeel itself more, you continue to get the rug pulled out from under you. I think that compiles a wonderful and gripping story and a gripping thriller.
Totally. One last question I wanted to ask you, Garrett. You’ve got this one moment, a short little scene, that I think is toward the end of the movie, when you’re standing in front of a bathroom mirror, your character is crying, and he just keeps saying “I can’t” over and over again. It was one of my favorite moments of the whole movie because it’s so simple, but it’s so powerful, and your acting really carries the whole moment. Is that something that’s difficult to do? Is it harder to do a scene like that when it’s just you, looking at yourself in the mirror, compared to having other actors to act off of?
No, I enjoy all of that. I mean, look, over the years, I’ve been thrown some curveballs ever since my first film. When you’re dealing with films with special effects, the obstacles, half the time, are just working with a tennis ball on a pole and a bunch of green screen. The obstacles of imagination have been ever so prevalent.
I think, for that particular scene, we’re watching a man who was essentially saying, “I can’t go on, I can’t go on. I have no more in me to continue this fight. I have no more.” Then he’s reminded by the wallpaper of his son and remembers who this whole fight was about. It’s no longer, in this very moment, about him or what he wants to do. It takes all of the “I” out of it and remembers this whole mission was about the boy. So when you take “I” out of yourself and make it about somebody else, it’s a miracle the strength that one can gather in an instant like that. He was so beaten down, injured, and fatigued at that moment, but it’s that kind of strength that’s like the mother who lifts the car for the baby underneath.
Thanks to Garrett Hedlund for discussing Barron’s Cove.
