Curry Barker Unsurprisingly Almost Starred in ‘Obsession’

Cooper Tomlinson revealed an alternate version of Obsession that almost happened.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Tomlinson revealed that writer-director Curry Barker briefly considered playing Bear himself before the role ultimately went to Michael Johnston. “Curry definitely considered playing Bear at one point, but I left it up to him,” Tomlinson said. “I think the movie would’ve been great regardless, but he was able to make the best movie possible by being behind the camera and leading the ship. He didn’t have to think about being in front of the camera for his first big movie.”

It’s a fascinating what-if, especially considering Barker previously starred in his own projects, most notably the viral found footage horror hit Milk & Serial alongside Tomlinson. The duo’s chemistry has long been a staple of their wildly popular comedy shorts and YouTube work, but Tomlinson seems convinced Barker made the right call by keeping his focus squarely on directing Obsession.

The decision clearly paid off. Since its release, Obsession has become one of the year’s biggest indie horror success stories, earning strong word-of-mouth and helping introduce Barker and Tomlinson to a much wider audience. As the film continues to find fans, it’s hard to argue with Barker’s choice to stay behind the camera and focus on steering the ship.