{"id":756126,"date":"2026-06-24T00:23:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T00:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/756126\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T00:23:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T00:23:34","slug":"obsession-cooper-tomlinson-pulls-back-the-curtain-on-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/756126\/","title":{"rendered":"Obsession: Cooper Tomlinson Pulls Back the Curtain on Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains spoilers for Obsession<\/a>.]\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2018, two aspiring actors named Cooper Tomlinson<\/a> and Curry Barker<\/a> met while in line during their first day at Los Angeles\u2019 New York Film Academy. The pair quickly struck up a friendship over The Walking Dead and Weezer, likely debating the eternal question about whether the latter\u2019s Blue Album or Pinkerton is the superior record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe two quickly realized that producing their own material on YouTube could provide them the more immediate, hands-on education they were craving. So they dropped out of NYFA\u2019s acting program and dove head first into generating web series, sketches and short films on their channel called That\u2019s a Bad Idea<\/a>. Their efforts are highlighted by an award-winning short film known as The Chair<\/a> (2023) and the no-budget found-footage feature, Milk & Serial <\/a>(2024).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn between their prolific collaboration, Tomlinson and Barker would still audition for random acting roles and write their own solo projects. Cut to July of 2023, Tomlinson attended a gathering to celebrate Barker\u2019s role<\/a> on It\u2019s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and that summer evening would ultimately change their lives in ways they never could\u2019ve expected.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere was a Simpsons episode on right before It\u2019s Always Sunny that drew an idea [Curry\u2019s] way. When I went over to his place again the next morning, he was like, \u2018Dude, I\u2019ve got this idea for this be-careful-what-you-wish-for thing,\u2019\u201d Tomlinson tells The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cSo that\u2019s where Obsession started. The love and the passion for that idea went from zero to 100 just like that, and we were off to the races.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer James Harris<\/a> of Tea Shop Productions then reached out about a feature adaptation of The Chair, but Barker sold him on Obsession instead. That was the first domino to fall en route to the $750,000 production in October 2024 and a splashy premiere at TIFF in September 2025, triggering a frenzied bidding war. Focus Features emerged victorious thanks to a $15 million acquisition fee, and the independent division of Universal put their full weight into a May 15 wide release for Obsession. The indie would go on to become one of the most storied box office phenomenons of all time, grossing $334 million (and counting) across 39 days of release.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe supernatural horror film chronicles the tragic consequences of Baron \u201cBear\u201d Bailey\u2019s (Michael Johnston) cowardice. Instead of admitting to his friend and co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) that she is his sun and moon, he buys a novelty toy called \u201cOne Wish Willow\u201d and issues a plea: \u201cI wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone in the fucking world.\u201d Immediately after making his wish and breaking the branch-like object, Nikki is reborn as the Bear-obsessed \u201cFreaky Nikki,\u201d costing the real Nikki her autonomy and turning her into a spectator inside her own body.<\/p>\n

\n\tA lesser known part of the Obsession story is that Barker himself considered playing Bear for a period of time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCurry definitely considered playing Bear at one point, but I left it up to him. I think the movie would\u2019ve been great regardless, but he was able to make the best movie possible by being behind the camera and leading the ship,\u201d Tomlinson shares. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have to think about being in front of the camera for his first big movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPrior to principal photography, Team Obsession decided to shoot some test footage of the fateful scene in which Bear begs for Nikki\u2019s boundless love, and Tomlinson himself stepped into the shoes of the gutless Bear. The endeavor was strictly for testing purposes, and the Seattle-area native was always slated to play Bear\u2019s so-called best friend, Ian.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen we started to put the movie together at the end of 2023 or top of 2024, I actually got to play Bear in a screen test. We did that whole scene with the car and Nikki\u2019s front door, only with different actors,\u201d Tomlinson recalls. \u201cI actually saw some of that\u00a0footage the other day, and it was just so fun to be able to do that. But as soon as I saw Michael\u2019s performance, I knew he was the right guy for that role. He killed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTomlinson and Barker have already shot their Obsession follow-up, Anything But Ghosts<\/a>, for Focus. They co-wrote and co-star in the supernatural horror-comedy, which also exists in the same universe as Obsession. Aaron Paul<\/a> plays a supporting role in the film, marking a full-circle moment for Tomlinson and Barker. In 2019, just a year into their collaboration, they attended a screening of Vince Gilligan\u2019s Breaking Bad sequel movie, El Camino.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe were walking to the bathroom and Aaron was coming down in the opposite direction. But Curry didn\u2019t see him, and we literally bumped into Aaron,\u201d Tomlinson says. \u201cLittle did we know, we\u2019d be doing a movie with him six years later. So we had to tell him that story before we started filming, and it was so cool for us to be able to have that full-circle moment. Every day on that set was the best day of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, during a spoiler conversation with THR, Tomlinson also discusses some of the enduring questions surrounding Obsession, as well as its potential sequel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tHave you run out of ways to describe how insane all of this is?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, the word that comes to mind now is grateful. Obsession has been such an electric experience for all of us, and there\u2019s just been so much love, positivity and support. I\u2019m really happy.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMichael Johnston stars as Bear, Megan Lawless as Sarah and Cooper Tomlinson as Ian in Obsession.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Focus Features<\/p>\n

\n\tYou and your affinity for trivia night have even become a meme<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Tomlinson immediately recreates the pose from his headshot.) Yeah, it\u2019s cool to see that going around. I reposted one on Instagram and said, \u201cHappy Wednesday to the trivia peeps.\u201d People always ask, \u201cWhen do you know you\u2019ve made it? \u201d And it\u2019s when you\u2019ve become a meme.<\/p>\n

\n\tCurry told THR that you don\u2019t react<\/a> to the edited scenes he shows you. Does this restraint only apply to your work together?<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, if he\u2019s showing me a new scene during the editing process, no, I don\u2019t react. Sometimes, I\u2019ll react to a joke, but it takes me a second to process. I want to make sure that we\u2019re getting the right thing and don\u2019t miss anything. The story is really important, and making sure that the final product is fantastic is just really important to the both of us. So he always hopes to see me give some big \u201coh my gosh!\u201d reaction, but I\u2019m so dialed in while watching something. He\u2019ll be like, \u201cI don\u2019t know if you liked it.\u201d And I\u2019ll say, \u201cNo, I loved it. I just need to process.\u201d So then I have him show me the scene again so I can catch new things.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re more analytical in those instances. But what about when you hear the latest Obsession reactions from industry titans as well as record numbers? Is that when you\u2019ll let loose?<\/p>\n

\n\tI like to think of myself as a chill guy, but hearing about Nolan and Spielberg seeing the movie, I was just like, \u201cWow!\u201d But at this point, I hear something every day about somebody else seeing it, and now it feels like everybody has seen it.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s been the highest high thus far?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI think it\u2019s just being able to say that I was a part of changing Hollywood to an extent. The business is shifting. When Curry and I came separately to L.A., we didn\u2019t know anybody. We had no connections. And together, we built something for ourselves. We\u2019ve also built things individually. He built Obsession, and just to be a part of that community \u2014\u00a0our cast, our crew, our producer Haley [Nicole] Johnson \u2014\u00a0is super special.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor contrast, what\u2019s been the lowest low over the last eight years of collaborating with Curry?<\/p>\n

\n\tGosh, there really haven\u2019t been lows. All the nos and the trial and error are just part of the journey. We\u2019ve been blessed to have so many great things come our way and also generate so many great things ourselves. The lowest low is when you find yourself wishing you had more time. There could always be more time. So I\u2019m just trying to enjoy every moment of this great adventure we\u2019ve been on, and I\u2019m so excited for what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs you touched on, you moved to L.A. from Woodinville, Washington. You and Curry met each other in line on your first day at New York Film Academy, and you both dropped out fairly quickly to create your own material. How did you prioritize your acting auditions versus your collaboration together versus your own individual projects?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt took a while to really find that balance. You\u2019ve also got to find time for your mental health and not burn yourself out. But what made things easier was moving in together. From when we\u2019d wake up to when we\u2019d go to bed, we were always creating. Whether it was a script or talking through a sketch, we came up with some of our best ideas at midnight. So those were some of the best moments starting out, and they still are today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAt one point, we were filming Milk & Serial<\/a> while also writing, shooting and editing three sketches a week. It was the height of our YouTube channel, That\u2019s a Bad Idea<\/a>, really taking off in 2022. We didn\u2019t have a cameraman or any money. So I don\u2019t know how we did that, but our love of cinema and making films just kept us going.<\/p>\n

\n\tYour YouTube channel culminated in the release of Curry\u2019s first feature, Milk & Serial. Where on the timeline did you first hear about a pathetic guy named Bear?<\/p>\n

\n\tIn [July] 2023, we were getting ready to watch Curry on TV. He was about to be a guest star on It\u2019s Always Sunny. And there was a Simpsons episode [\u201cTreehouse of Horror II\u201d] on right before It\u2019s Always Sunny that drew an idea his way. We weren\u2019t living together at that moment, and when I went over to his place again the next morning, he was like, \u201cDude, I\u2019ve got this idea for this be-careful-what-you-wish-for thing.\u201d So that\u2019s where Obsession started. The love and the passion for that idea went from zero to 100 just like that, and we were off to the races.<\/p>\n

\n\tCasting Michael Johnston was clearly the right decision, but Curry, at one point, was considering playing Bear. Do you remember nudging him one way or another?<\/p>\n

\n\tCurry definitely considered playing Bear at one point, but I left it up to him. I think the movie would\u2019ve been great regardless, but he ended up just wanting to direct. He was able to make the best movie possible by being behind the camera and leading the ship. He didn\u2019t have to think about being in front of the camera for his first big movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen we started to put the movie together at the end of 2023 or top of 2024, I actually got to play Bear in a screen test. I did test footage with the crew at our friend\u2019s house. We shot the scene where Bear makes the wish. We did that whole scene with the car and Nikki\u2019s front door, only with different actors. I actually saw some of that\u00a0 footage the other day, and it was just so fun to be able to do that.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tInde Navarrette as Nikki in Obsession<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Focus Features<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you test because he was also considering you for Bear?<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, we just needed somebody to fill in and play Bear for the moment. But as soon as I saw Michael\u2019s performance, I knew he was the right guy for that role. He killed it. I don\u2019t think I could have done the character like he did. So it all worked out the way it was supposed to, and it was really always Ian for me. Whether it was one line or the lead, I was happy.<\/p>\n

\n\tIan never seemed like the greatest friend to Bear, but the revelation that he and Nikki were making late-night house calls off and on for two years recontextualizes the entire movie. Do you think the opening scene in the diner was Ian trying to sabotage Bear\u2019s romantic overture toward Nikki?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, I do. There\u2019s a piece of Ian that was really jealous of Bear and wanted Nikki for himself still. So he found a way to be supportive in the moment, but he also knew [his advice to call her \u201cFreaky Nikki\u201d] could screw things up for Bear. He\u2019s the devil on the shoulder. He likes to stir the pot. He likes to control what happens.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat diner scene was a reshoot. It was originally a phone call between Bear and Ian on the way to trivia night. Are you glad it evolved?<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, it was the right move. We just feel so much more connected to Bear, and I got a little more screen time out of it. (Laughs.) It was nice to be back with the crew again, and we got to improv a little. So we had a lot of fun, and it felt a lot like I was doing a That\u2019s a Bad Idea sketch.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the first scene at Cassell\u2019s Music, Bear informs Ian of how strange Nikki is acting. He then goes and talks to her. Do you think he said something like, \u201cHey, we were together two weeks ago. How are you head over heels for Bear already?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI hadn\u2019t thought about it much, but yeah. He was curious about what happened last night, and he wanted to get her take on it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThroughout the movie, Ian conducts an off-screen investigation into Nikki\u2019s sudden infatuation with Bear and the lie she told about her dad having leukemia. Was he doing all this because he genuinely cares for her? Or was it more sabotage because his ego couldn\u2019t handle the idea that she could like Bear more than him?<\/p>\n

\n\tHis ego is bruised. He\u2019s a guy who wants to be in control, and he\u2019s not. He doesn\u2019t understand. In his mind, there\u2019s no way that she would go for Bear, and he\u2019s jealous. So it was all a selfish act.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the beginning of the billion-dollar-wish scene, Bear shows up to Ian\u2019s place acting hysterically, and Ian turns his back to him to put his hands on the table. He then cries out, \u201cIs she okay?\u201d And the emotional way you delivered that line suggests to me that he has genuine feelings for her despite all his selfish meddling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHe does care for Nikki. He doesn\u2019t want her to die, especially after what happened at the party [and how frantic Bear is acting in that scene]. But there is that questionable side to it all involving Bear and his own ego. He just doesn\u2019t fully get it.<\/p>\n

\n\tIan\u2019s wish for a billion dollars definitely tracks with the type of person he is. Did Curry entertain other options there? Or was it always a billion dollars?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was always a billion dollars. We literally asked people, \u201cIf you had to make a wish right now, gun to your head, what would you wish for? \u201d And I\u2019m telling you, every time they were like, \u201cA billion dollars.\u201d So as insane as that wish is, it\u2019s realistic. It\u2019s the grounded answer, and that\u2019s what a guy like Ian would wish for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIan does mention that Nikki\u2019s dad lives in your home state of Washington. But as I was watching, I kept expecting Nikki\u2019s mom or dad to show up at Bear\u2019s house to confront her about the leukemia lie and her extended absence from home. I also imagined Ian going to her house and discovering that Freaky Nikki had already killed Nikki\u2019s mom so that she could spend all her time at Bear\u2019s. Do you know if Curry ever played with one of Nikki\u2019s parents actually appearing?<\/p>\n

\n\tI forget, but I don\u2019t think he did. This story lives inside this friend group, and it\u2019s all through Bear\u2019s perspective. The parents are more far away, and I don\u2019t think there was really a world in this contained story where they needed to come in.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe scripted ending had Nikki commit suicide after Bear\u2019s overdose \u00e0 la Romeo and Juliet. But Curry\u2019s father, Jeff Barker, and several others made the case for the ending in the movie where Real Nikki reawakens to survey the damage in front of her. Did you offer Curry your two cents as far as which ending you preferred?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, I encouraged going with the ending that is up on screen. I thought it was a no-brainer. There\u2019s so much conversation about what happens next for her, and if it went the other way, the story is closed. There\u2019s nothing else to say. But now there\u2019s so many different ways that her story could go, and maybe one day we\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s still a lot of debate about whether Real Nikki liked Bear, pre-wish. I think she did because the story becomes all the more tragic if she did in fact have feelings for him. And it all could\u2019ve been avoided had he just spilled his guts. How do you see it?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s that moment where she asks him straight up, \u201cDo you like me?\u201d In that moment, if he had told her the truth, I think there would\u2019ve been an attraction to that. I think she would\u2019ve given him a chance. She was just looking for the honesty she\u2019s always been looking for in this guy, and he didn\u2019t give it to her. But I think she really did know how he felt, and she just wanted to hear it.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I don\u2019t think a young woman would ask that question unless she felt something.<\/p>\n

\n\tExactly.<\/p>\n

\n\tBear\u2019s cat, Sandy, accidentally OD\u2019d on painkillers early in the movie, and Freaky Nikki eventually makes a sandwich out of her. In Milk & Serial, Curry\u2019s character, Milk, tells a story about killing a cat as a kid. In That\u2019s a Bad Idea\u2019s State Farm<\/a> sketch, Curry\u2019s character also talks about killing his cat. What deep-seated issue does Curry have with cats?<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything going on. I completely forgot about that in the State Farm sketch. That\u2019s so funny. Milk & Serial was a lot of improv, so that might\u2019ve just come out of nowhere. Maybe he\u2019s always got cats on his mind. I love cats. Maybe I\u2019ll get him one for his birthday. [Writer\u2019s Note: I found a quote<\/a> from Curry\u2019s father, Jeff Barker, about it: \u201cPlease know that Curry loves animals. When he was growing up, we had a cat he loved very much, but that cat did not love us.\u201d]<\/p>\n

\n\tAnything But Ghosts is going to be your moment. You and Curry are co-writers and co-stars. Are you glad you made it before Obsession racked up $334 million at the box office?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, I am. The stars aligned perfectly for that project, and I\u2019m really excited for people to see it.<\/p>\n

\n\tI think the budget on that one is at least five times that of Obsession. Did it feel like a noticeable level-up?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt definitely felt like a completely different playing field, but we tried to stick to our roots because that\u2019s what works best.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou and Curry attended a screening for Aaron Paul\u2019s El Camino in 2019, and now Aaron is supporting you and Curry in a film you birthed together. Were you able to block that full-circle moment out pretty quickly on set?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, day one on set, we just dropped into it with him and were present in the scene. What\u2019s great about that El Camino screening is we were walking to the bathroom, and Aaron was coming down in the opposite direction. I was like, \u201cOh, there he is.\u201d But Curry didn\u2019t see him, and we literally bumped into Aaron. So that was the first time we actually crossed paths with him. Little did we know, we\u2019d be doing a movie with him six years later. So we had to tell him that story before we started filming, and it was so cool for us to be able to have that full-circle moment. Every day on that set was the best day of our lives.<\/p>\n

\n\tApparently, you and Curry also have a TV show in development. Are you still not able to shed any light on it?<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I\u2019m bound to secrecy on that for now.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere was loose talk of an Obsession anthology series during early press for the movie, but Curry now says he has a great idea for a proper sequel someday. Has he shared it with you yet?<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I know a little bit. (Tomlinson smiles.)<\/p>\n

\n\tWeirdly, I fired up my Dutton Ranch screeners a few hours after I saw Obsession, and I did a double take when I saw you in a cowboy hat. Was that your way of paying the bills until Obsession came out?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, it was a very rewarding experience. Yellowstone is one of my favorite worlds and stories. I auditioned, and I couldn\u2019t believe I got the part. One morning, I saw an article about the show, and I was like, \u201cOh, that\u2019d be cool to be on it.\u201d An hour later, I got an audition for it, and I was like, \u201cNo way!\u201d I then sent that tape in within the hour. Three weeks later, I got the part. On set, it was 105 degrees in the middle of a Fort Worth summer. Everyone was dying, and I was in full cop gear. But I had one of the best days ever getting to work with Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton. So I hope there\u2019s more down the line with that. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

\n\tDecades from now, when you and Curry reminisce about the Obsession experience, what day will you remind him of first?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ll say, \u201cDo you remember when we invited all our friends over and table read the script before it had any money behind it?\u201d We just loved reading it, and we had so much fun doing it. We were just getting excited about hopefully making the movie one day. It was probably a year before that day came.<\/p>\n

\n\t***
Obsession is now playing in movie theaters.<\/p>\n