Here is a comprehensive FAQs about Barret and his career. If you have a question or more reliable information please get in touch.

What is Barret’s full name?
Barret Spencer Oliver.

Did Barret have a nickname?
He was often referred to as ‘Barry’ – one source says that he preferred it.

What name did Bastian give to the Empress at the end of NES?
He called her “Moon Child”, the same name he gave her in the original book. In the movie (though not in the book) he had earlier implied his own dead mother’s name would be suitable. (It has even been suggested that the words which Bastian yells from the window were deliberately obscured, on the grounds that the act of naming was more important than the name itself.)

Does the NES movie stick closely to the original book?
Michael Ende’s original book is a deeper, more complex and mysterious work than the movie, which actually depicts, fairly loosely, only the first third or so of the book. (These differences resulted in disagreements between Ende and the movie’s producers). In particular, the book says that Bastian is “a fat little boy”, and the ending of the NES movie (Bastian’s revenge on the bullies) is not found in the book at all.

Why wasn’t Barret in “The Neverending Story II”?
It was apparently Wolfgang Petersen’s original intention to make a sequel to NES almost immediately, with Barret and Noah Hathaway reprising their roles as Bastian and Atreyu. Unfortunately, contractual and artistic disagreements between the movie’s producers and the book’s author, Michael Ende, delayed the making of NES2 until 1990. By that time, both Barret and Noah were too old.

Was DARYL based on a book too?
No, the screenplay was original. But the story was subsequently published as a book (by N.H. Kleinbaum), which naturally stays very close to the screenplay, though it also contains a couple of short scenes that did not feature in the commercial movie. (There is some evidence – still photos – that these scenes were shot, but were eliminated from the final cut)

What does the acronym D.A.R.Y.L. stand for?
Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform

Why was there never a sequel to DARYL?
After DARYL was released, the possibility of a sequel was considered (according to one – almost certainly reliable - source). In the event, the gross receipts for DARYL were not high enough to attract financial backers for a sequel.

Where is Barret now?
Regrettably, not known – but there has been no suggestion that he moved away from California. It is known that he worked recently in the crew for the movie "Rennie's Landing". If you find him, please let us know!

Did Barret enjoy his work in movies?
Until about 1987, the available evidence suggests that he enjoyed the work – with the usual reservations about all the hanging around on set. He also naturally took a pride in his successes, especially in winning the roles of Bastian and Daryl. He is on record as saying that he welcomed the chance to travel, and that he particularly enjoyed the couple of weeks it took to shoot Frankenweenie. There is no direct evidence about his feelings towards the movie industry after 1986-87.

Why did Barret give up his career in the movies?
There are no known facts – but there is a surfeit of speculation to which we will not add.

Was Barret ever close to appearing in other movies?
He was presumably first in line to play Bastian in NES2 (see separate FAQ) and to reprise Daryl if a sequel had been made (see separate FAQ). There is little other information – actors rarely talk about the roles they don’t get!

Did Barret really join the the Church of Scientology?
Barret’s father was – and still is – a committed scientologist. It has frequently been suggested within the Internet community that Barret followed his father’s example, but there is no certain evidence in either direction.

What is the best evidence that Barret was a fine actor?
He won the Saturn Award for his role as Daryl, and was nominated for other awards (see INFO-résumé page). The vast majority of external reviews of his major movies are highly complimentary to his performances. This is particularly true with regard to DARYL, a movie where structural weaknesses were partly redeemed by Barret’s accomplished performance in the lead role. It must also be significant that he was much in demand for movies and TV shows 1984 thru 1986. But you must judge for yourself – how do you react to his screen presence, and do you find that his sensitivity makes him more than just another “cute American kid”?

Did Barret receive a lot of money for his movie roles?
Unsurprisingly, very little is known about Barret’s (or his parents’) remuneration for his work.

Which Director did Barret most like working with?
He did not name a favorite Director, as such. He clearly formed a good working rapport with Wolfgang Petersen for NES – Barret publicly expressed his willingness to work with him again, and it is clear from both ‘behind-the-scenes’ shots and the end product that the two co-operated convincingly. Barret is also on record as saying that he got on well at the personal level with Tim Burton during the making of Frankenweenie, and that he was grateful to Ron Howard, who, as a former child-star himself, gave him sympathetic support on the Cocoon set. Strangely, but perhaps not significantly, there is no explicit reference at all to the relationship between Simon Wincer and Barret in DARYL.

How did Barret get into movies in the first place?
Barret’s elder brother, Kyle, was the first to appear before the cameras, at the suggestion of a family friend connected to the industry. Barret declared an interest in wanting to follow suit (see INFO-Biography for a fuller account)

Did so much movie-making interfere with Barret’s education?
There can be no certain evidence without contact with Barret. He was filmed in 1984 working one-to-one with a private math tutor. That same year, he himself said that he had plenty of school friends, but over the next year or two he must have been away from class a great deal, and so maintained his education with long hours of study in hotel rooms. This should not have seriously impaired his academic progress.

What were Barret’s hobbies as a youngster?
He enjoyed model-making of all sorts - he seems to have concentrated on aircraft, but he is known also to have constructed a toy fortress. Dirt-biking also appealed to him, and the ‘Candids’ GALLERY shows several shots of him with his bike.