When Barret Oliver was cast inThe NeverEnding Story,he was a veritable unknown.
Hed had minor roles in a handful of movies and guest spots on a few TV shows.
(Though, very popular 1980s TV shows likeThe Incredible HulkandKnight Rider!)
Then… he became Bastian.
But, to land an iconic role, one must first be in an iconic film.
Bastian is that bang out of role, andThe NeverEnding Storywas that bang out of movie.
But what makesThe NeverEnding Storyand Bastian so beloved?
Or, at least, serves as our medium between our world and the fictional realm of Fantasia.
Technically, the core narrative of the film could be told entirely without Bastian.
The slow destruction of Fantasia.
There could have been a hero inside the story who served the same role as Bastian.
A character who had to be discovered.
But Bastian is there the entire time.
Then, Bastian learns he isnt alone either, that we too have been following him.
And the audience learns that we matter to the story too.
That is a heady masterpiece in which we are all swept up.
The same year ofThe NeverEnding Storysrelease, Oliver was cast in Tim BurtonsFrankenweenie.
That same year, he appeared in the Ron Howard filmCocoon.
What is Barret Oliver Doing Now?
When Barrett Oliver stepped away from acting to pursue his education, he found his passion in photographic printing.
Today, he is a photographer, artist, teacher, and historian of photographic technology.
In 2012, Oliver appeared as himself in a short film about Woodburytype photography titledIn the Usual Manner.
The film was made as part of a temporary Civil War photography exhibition for the library.
