Demore Barnes – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

By starrymag | January 7, 2021

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

Q) You play Deputy Chief Christian Garland on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and it was recently announced you’ve been bumped up to a full-time cast member. Your picture in the credits and all! Congratulations! What went through your mind when you got that call?

 

A) That picture in the credits may be the cherry on top of it all, I gotta tell ya. [laughs]. It’s arguably one of the most iconic television show openings and to see my mug and my name along with that that iconic scene; it’s pretty amazing. That’s not going to wear off for some time. It’s been a journey. I started as a guest star last year and you know that call to do that was pretty exciting in and of itself. And to really sit down with Warren Leight by way of phone, even at that point in time because I was in Toronto and he was in New York, and he just pitched me on the role – at that time what the role appeared to be and what we thought it would mean. Then, 2020 happened and not only did the direction of the show evolve, but then also the direction of, not only Christian Garland, but all the other characters as well. And, so, we kind of got to a point as we were endeavoring to fire the show back up and get the season up and running; trying to determine what it would be the most advantageous and exciting scenario that we could imagine. In short order I think it was a very broad and wide consensus that the next logical step and one that I was very resonant with, was to make me a series regular. So, that’s a little bit of the backstory but it didn’t detract from any of the excitement of actually hearing that’s what would be happening. That it would actually be coming to fruition and I would be joining this legendary cast and crew.

 

Q) When you joined the show last season, who were you most looking forward to working with?

 

A) Oh! Um, that’s a tough question because I think the fans of the show would resonate with the notion of each and every character who are currently on the show as bringing their own kind of unique special sauce. One that I really wanted to really, really, work with? I really can’t answer that question! [laughs] I mean, it was exciting to work with…Well, my first day on set was with Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T and that was pretty thrilling. It was exciting and it was a little nerve wracking because you know I sort of show up finally in the SVU house and my nervousness was quickly allayed by both Ice and Mariska. As I said before in another interview, they couldn’t be more gracious or warmer and actually just remarkably down to earth.

 

Q) As Garland grows in his role as chief and starts to get to know the dynamics of the precinct, do you expect he and Captain Benson’s partnership will grow into a friendship similar to hers and Dodds?

 

A) Yeah, you know that’s an interesting question. I think Dodds (Peter Gallagher) brought his own sort of masterful approach to playing the Chief and if I know anything about Warren and the writing team is that their direction is not going to be to recreate anything that you know even closely resembles something that has already been done, which I am also grateful for as being a different actor and performer and in a different time. What I can say is what I would like to see happen. I would like to see a continuation of more that has already been happening in their relationship and their dynamic where you have Garland who has joined the team as the leader and boss and as he continues to walk the tightrope of what it is to be not only NYPD Blue but to also to be black and now the leader of SVU. To do that and to explore that tension together with Olivia and the various tensions she also finds herself in and continues to explore now in Season 22, that I would love to see a coming together of not only the professional but in the personal – in a way we don’t imagine and we cannot perceive, but in a really poignant and powerful way.

 

Q) Speaking of the dynamics Garland faces as a chief, will we be seeing him struggle with what it means to be a black man working for the NYPD as tensions rise between the community and the police?

 

A) Yes. Yes, no, absolutely! You know as we saw in the first episode, the premiere episode, that is something that Garland will be wrestling with immensely. Not only being Chief, but also what is it to become, on some level, friends and also for him, on his own personal mandate of being an agent of change in opposition to what he has perceived and he has experienced throughout his whole life as being somewhat more of a white status quo and how does he navigates that. How does he navigate his intentions being as true as they are as they slam up against other’s perceptions as a Chief, but also as a man?

 

Q) As the Deputy Chief, you have to be a take-charge kind of leader. Not only do you have to lead the force, but you also set the tone for any changes they may face under new leadership. Did this trait for this role require you to leave your comfort zone or are you a natural born leader?

 

A) [laughs] Yeah, I mean, to be quite honest I would say that I am! I mean, the role of Demore and Chief Garland, they’re not the same role but in many ways they run in parallel. There are many different sorts of nuances and attributes that I share with the Chief and then some not so much. So, yeah, I would say I am a natural born leader and obviously Christian is as well. But, yeah, no. That’s a great question. [laughs]

 

Q) We really got to know Chief Garland towards the end of last season in “Garland’s Baptism By Fire.” Will the show continue to peel back the layers and delve deeper into his personal life this season? Fans love it when we catch glimpses of the characters outside of the precinct and dealing with real-life personal issues.

 

A) Yes, the curtain that began being pulled back in “Garland’s Baptism by Fire” I believe will continue to be slowly pulled back this season and as the coming seasons unfold. I think it’s one of the really great and fantastic hallmarks of the show where we have this procedural drama where we are focused on the case of the week or the challenge of the week and yet these cops are human. They feel, they hurt, they long for different things…And so we’re gonna really get to see more of that from Garland. And I think it will also be a really nice juxtaposition with him as kind of the heavy, the boss, the one who brings the heat, the one who holds the bar really high and then getting to see that juxtaposed with, “Oh, what else is it that we’re learning about him now?” The writers did a fantastic job with that episode. It’s wonderful to really get great material like that to be able to perform.

 

Q) The SVU handles some tough and emotional cases. Have there been times when you and the cast had emotional responses when reading the script or is it just all in a day’s work and you can shelve it and move on?

 

A) Yeah, there has been instances. Well, first I just have to say as actors we’re paid to be emotionally brave. Really in a lot of cases I think we’re paid and expected to be braver than we have a tendency to be naturally on our own. So, part of that bravery – part of that courage – is us remaining open empathetically and emotionally to what it is we’re encountering; what it is we’re navigating. On a certain level we wouldn’t be doing our job if we were impervious to that and now given the subject matter the show tends to explore. And, yeah, we get actually moved and almost to the point of tears, or to the point of tears! I remember last year I think it was my second episode…I can’t remember the title of the episode, but during the read through it was storming outside, like I almost got goosebumps again. [laughs] We were sitting in the read through room and we were all crowded around the table reading the scripts and at certain points as we read through that particular script which centered for the most part primarily on abortion and some of the jurisdictional issues that were being navigated around abortion. It was a heavy, heavy, episode and very poignantly and almost eerily at least two if not three times when a particular scene would be ended or something poignant would happen, a crack of thunder would shoot through the room and had us all pause and look at each other and as this continued to happen it was just like there were people. I mean, some of us were crying or almost crying and at a certain point Ice just said, “Yo! This is real, man!” It just felt like literally earth seemed to be interacting as we were in the middle in what we were doing.

 

Q) The current conversation in America centers around the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. When taking on the role of Chief Garland, was it important for you that the show not only touch on this issue in America but also ensure Garland would be portrayed in a fair and just light?

 

A) Yeah, that’s a great question. You know what’s interesting is my originally joining the show I think exemplifies just really how ahead of the curve and ahead of the time that SVU is with Warren Leight and Julie Martin and our writer’s team because I was brought on quite some time before the crap hit the fan or maybe as it ticked up a notch in 2020. And so that shift we sort of found ourselves mid-step with Garland already on the scene in my already being involved and so in lieu of your question, I had the upmost confidence with Warren, Julie and the team would be able to handle navigating the change in time. Or maybe not the change in time, but the spotlight now on what was already there and doing that in a way that was skilled, sophisticated and nuanced and with great depth. They’re so collaborative on the show just as writers there is very little ego. I’ve been doing this for a long time and anyone would be rivaled to find a writer’s room with this little ego as this writer’s room. So, they are very collaborative and very open and want to hear from myself and the other actors. They want to know when things don’t ring true, they want to know when things will rub us, they want to know when we are concerned with how things may be perceived or may fall maybe unintentionally impacting our viewers in a negative way. I mean, we can’t please everyone, but that’s the kind of care and consideration involved in navigating this minefield that we now find ourselves in.

 

Q) One of the best parts about this show is how the storylines pull from the headlines of our current events. Season 22 is obviously going to deal with the pandemic and how it affected New York but talk a little bit about how it affected set life. What have been some of the challenges you and the cast faced during filming in the middle of this COVID nightmare?

 

A) Yes, it’s interesting because I don’t know what other actors are experiencing on other sets. Obviously, I could only speak to what I experience and I just really want to give a shout out to Ken [Brown] and Mike [Ciliento], our producers who have really anchored our transition from the way things were to the way things are now in COVID. Just in terms of the protocols and the testing and the timing with how we do things; just with the innovation that they’ve demonstrated and the commitment to not only get the show running but to get it running safely, we’re so fortunate. Here we are five episodes in and we haven’t had any positive tests and I think a lot of that is because of the bang-up job that they’ve done. So, we adjusted. As actors we adjusted very, very, quickly to the things that needed to happen. That’s what actors do. We dance and adapt when necessary.

 

Q) You’re also on your last season of “American Gods” airing in January, where you play Mr. Ibis who runs a funeral parlor and narrates the show. What or who are you going to miss most about working on that show?

 

A) [loudly with emotion] Ugh! I can almost well up when you ask that question! I’m going to miss everyone! I am going to miss EVERYONE! Yeah, yeah, you know, Ricky [Whittle] and Yetide [Badaki] and Omid [Abtahi.] And ugh! I started naming names and I know I’m going to leave names off, but like everyone both In front of the camera and behind the camera, they really have become another family of mine and they will forever be family.

 

Q) You are a busy guy! Always working and popping up in many of our favorite shows like Supernatural, the miniseries Waco and my personal favorite Hannibal. Any plans for other projects next year the fans can look out for?

 

A) Yeah, that’s a good question! When you asked that I was kind of like “[singing] NDA! NDA! Non-disclosure agreement there!” [laughs] I would love to share, but…there is a particular project that I am working on that I am a part of and attached to and I guess all I can say is, for fear of being rebuked, stay tuned! There’s going to be more Demore elsewhere beyond SVU, but for the time being SVU is where you’re going to get the most of me right now and happily so. As for Hannibal, thank you, thank you! I’d work with Bryan Fuller anytime, anyplace. I’m grateful for him for that opportunity. I had that opportunity because of him as well as American Gods. I’m eternally grateful for him and Michael Green as well. So, thank you.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans and supporters of your work?

 

A) I’d say to my fans who are going to read this and perhaps want to know, I’m really grateful for your love and your support and your interest in my career. And I can say with wholehearted certainty that the best is yet to come.