I. Hi! We’re happy to have you with us. First thing’s first, can you slate for us please?
“Course. Oliver Barrymore, thirty-seven, and I was born and raised right here in California. I’m currently, and for the foreseeable future, the COO and Co-founder of Riot. Oh and people say I look like Armie Hammer, can you believe it? I’m way better looking than that guy.”
II. It’s great to meet you. So you have to know that everyone’s been curious about you, why don’t we start with where you’re from? Tell us where you grew up and what your childhood and family were like.
“ Well it all started in a little town called Hollywood for me. Honestly my family’s been here for generations, though by now everyone knows that and who we are. Had it been around way back then I would have been the only kid in school who had his family tree on a Wikipedia page. Needless to say my childhood was good– great, actually. I know that’s boring but my parents loved me and spoiled me and got everything I wanted. Not that my siblings didn’t as well, but we all knew I was the favorite. I met movie stars when I was in diapers and grew up with famed directors and actors as my godparents, got to go to Disney World via helicopter just to cheer me up after getting my tonsils out, losing a tooth got me a hundred dollar bill under my pillow…So my parents were excessive, yes, but they had the means and any parent would have done the same if they could. Every parent wants to give their kid the world and mine could, so they did. I had a charmed life.”
III. Well, they say our upbringing molds who we become. I’m sure that you got your reputation for being arrogant, materialistic, shallow; generous, attentive, loyal. from that.
“ Well I mean whose to say?I think the way people see me and the way I see myself are two very different things. I personally wouldn’t call myself shallow…”
IV. And what about that lead you to your current career? How did that impact you enough to want to do what you do now?
“Oh god, that… Well I suppose it was sometime during college. Myself and my best friend being thick as two greedy little thieves did everything together, and I guess I always knew that I would go on to work in the industry somehow since it was the family business, but to be honest,I had no actual clue what I wanted to do. I mean I got good grades and all the doors were open for me, but I never really planned it out, just expected to fall into whatever it was when it happened. I guess that’s still what happened, since when my friend and now business partner was detailing his plan for his life, I naturally being attached to the hip, said something along the line of ‘sure’ and that was that. I like business, money, the film industry, so I guess it was a no-brainer.”
V. That’s awesome. I’m sure our readers will love to hear that. So you knew you had a calling, what came next? How did you get yourself to Hollywood? What was your first job?
“What came next? Hard work like i never knew. For the first time in my life I was doing something. The financial aspect wasn’t a problem, but I thought getting people to just trust me and invest because of who I was wouldn’t be a problem either. I mean, besides an internship in my teens that I did nothing during and only got as a result of nepotism, this was my first job. I went to an Ivy League school and somehow learned nothing, because I thought starting a company was honestly picking a name, getting an investor then delegating work as the money rolled in. We had no one under us in the beginning, no nannies, no one patting us on the back for just showing up. It was hell. I think had I been going at it alone I would have given up,but I was young and spoiled then, as I said,and the learning experience matured me greatly, I think.”
VI. Of course, but we all know there’s a sea of faces out here trying to get famous as well, right? It must have been hard, the first few rejections or being told something wasn’t good enough. What was the most difficult thing you faced on your journey?
“Ha, yes, well, rejection isn’t something I had a lot of experience with at the time, so it was a genuine shock when in our company’s infancy people didn’t pick us and went with more establish companies or even told us off for being two frat boys playing at business – yes, someone actually said that. It was all such a rude awakening but like I said,I grew from it, I got a thicker skin and a taste for the real world that I had been sheltered from all my life, and I don’t know if it was a desire to prove them wrong or what but I just kept at it. Of course it wasn’t just me alone, so I couldn’t just quit so easily, but I think that was the toughest part, honestly. Realizing that this was something I really wanted, in spite of being told no, and fighting past the rejection to keep going.”
VII. So then what was the moment that you realized you made it? Or are you still waiting for that moment?
“The moment I realized I made it… God, I mean obviously it was the first honesty to goodness million we made that didn’t come from our own trust funds. All my life just one million dollars seemed like nothing, but having that in our company account just… It filled me with pride. I think in the years working up to it I got a beaten down a little bit, what with taking money I would usually have used to buy a luxury car and spend it on a building and paint and chairs… But it wasn’t my parents money or even my grandparents, it was mine. That was the day I knew we were in business and more projects would come. We were gonna be okay.” (5 - The A-List)
VIII. It’s amazing when you make it far enough in this town when so many people end up giving up and going home, isn’t it? So now that you’re here, what’s next for you?
“Yes, it is. I like it much better being my usual confident self instead of taking things people say to heart so much. Normally I’d say the sky’s the limit but I honestly think I’m sitting on a cloud as is. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing now: making the industry a place where people can get lost for a few hours in a world that I help make possible, give a few people a chance to see their dreams come true, you know? I may just be in the background and not actually writing or directing things, but I still feel like a part of every project we take on and I love that.”
IX. Now we know it’s personal but we have to ask, do you have any comment about the rumors going around about you?
“Oh now that’s not fair. My publicist isn’t here to glare at me and keep me from spilling too much, haha. Let’s see… I suppose I have a lot of rumors about taking advantage of my position but I mean, we all know that’s garbage, right? My interest in the talent is obviously only in their talent, I would never go further than that. ”
X. Thank you so much for talking to us today. Lastly, is there anything you want our readers to know about you?
“Oooh, now you’re going to find out all my secrets. Are you ready? I have a massive sweet tooth. Chocolate mousse? Yes please! I could eat three in one sitting. Tiramisu, souffle, macaroons, ugh. And my favorite of all time, a good New York style cheesecake. That’s my guilty pleasure. That and skiing. I’m not always lazy, and in those moments when I’m not, I love to hit the slopes.”
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