Devon Terrell Nails a Young Barack Obama In 'Barry' Now Playing on Netflix

Australian actor Devon Terrell landed his Netflix role of a young Barack Obama with his first audition. Vikram Gandi's 'Barry' tells the story of a young Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya who struggles to fit in. In 'Barry', writes Vogue, "we get a glimpse of the young person who became Obama -- the chain-smoking Columbia University undergrad living in Harlem in 1981." The film opened yesterday on Netflix.

Did your perception of Obama change at all after playing him?
I really just have a deeper understanding of the man. In so many ways, I look at the story and I think, How did that young man become Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America? And then in many ways I look at him and see that he’s been through so much adversity and demanded so much of himself that, of course, he became a leader. In many ways, I understood him better as a person. But as an outsider, I’ve always looked up to him as a family man and someone who stands by his values and morals. He’s someone whom I hope to grow up to be like. He’s always striving for more. I really admire the man.