Junior realizes his dreams on the big screen

Zachary Barack, a junior currently on leave from school, pronounces his last name “bear-ick,” like army barracks — not “Barack,” like Obama. Like any student who needs to correct a professor’s pronunciation on the first day of class, Barack is going to need to ensure that his name is pronounced correctly, but, for him, it’s not just for commencement.

Instead, Barack needs his name pronounced correctly because it could soon become one of the household variety. He will make his big-screen debut this summer in the upcoming “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” to be released July 5.

Admittedly, Barack hasn’t had much time to nail down the public’s pronunciation of his name, and if his ascent feels especially meteoric, that’s because it is. Prior to appearing in the 23rd film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Academy Award-nominated actors and industry heavyweights, Barack had only one other formal acting job, playing a recovering alcoholic in an industrial tape for social work students, accessible only with paid academic access.

To claim that Barack’s ascent is a result of pure happenstance, however, is to misunderstand his disparate interests — and multi-hyphenate star potential.

Barack first came to USC as a music industry major, fresh out of a gap year spent working at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. At the time, he was interested in what he described as “management type stuff.” Still, Barack was keenly aware of his other passions.

“[I knew] I loved acting,” he said. “I loved comedy, I loved music.”

When his roommate notified him about an open casting call online for a role on NBC’s short-lived musical drama series “Rise,” Barack decided to submit an audition, despite his primary focus on music at the time.

“The truth is, at the end of the day, I wanted to perform,” Barack said.

He didn’t get the role, but he did get a call from Ann Thomas, who runs Transgender Talent, expressing her interest in working with Barack. Around the same time, Barack started doing stand-up comedy, something which he says gave him the confidence he needed to perform in front of others.

With Thomas’ assistance, Barack started going on more formal auditions. He had only been on four auditions in total when Thomas called to give him some career-making news.

“So, I think you got a role in Spider-Man,” Barack remembers her saying over the phone.

Barack, who hadn’t formally auditioned for the role, was in a state of shock and glee. Thomas went on to explain that those involved with the film had seen Barack’s other audition tapes and wanted him to come in for an official audition that day.

Luckily, Barack, a Chicago native, was still in Los Angeles for a summer internship, so he was able to audition.

Barack assumed he didn’t get the part when he didn’t hear back for a whole week, knowing that the team said they would move quickly with hiring. Soon after though, he got a call from his agent.

He remembers two voices on the phone whispering, “Do you want to tell him? Should I tell him?”

The phone call remains vivid for Barack, whose life changed considerably as a result of it.

“It happened in the span of a week,” he said.

He overnighted his passport (production was primarily based in the United Kingdom), packed up his entire apartment, went home to Chicago for two days and then got on a plane to London. With that, his film career officially began.

Barack was provided a phone and a place to stay, both of which helped his adjustment. Within the first few days of his arrival, there was also a cast dinner.

“It was just surreal, that first dinner,” Barack said. “I went out and bought a whole new outfit that day, and then everyone [else] was in T-shirts and boots. I was like, ‘Oh, everybody’s so normal.’”

Barack bonded with his castmates, who quickly became friends.

“When I first got out there, I really clammed up,” Barack said. “I’m clearly the newest to this. [But] then, I slowly started to view myself in the same lens as other folks.

As Barack built his support system on set, an old support system also visited; his mom, Merle Diamond, and one of his three older brothers stopped by to see Barack in London.

For Barack’s mother, who remembers Barack’s steadfast commitment to performing when he was young, seeing her child on a movie set felt like the culmination of years of work.

“I just thought, ‘This is who he was supposed to be,’” Diamond said. “Zach just always knew that he was going to do something like this. This is exactly the way it’s supposed to be.”

Being part of such a big project does bring its own challenges, though.

“As a young actor, there’s a lot of insecurity,” Barack said. “[Then], as a trans person, a lot of the comments I get — on articles, on Instagram posts — are like, ‘I sure hope he can act.’ And they’re not saying that to everybody, you know? There does feel like an extra level of pressure.”

Since returning from the 18-week project this semester, Barack has remained focused on honing his evident talent.

“I want to get better,” Barack said. “I want to take this time to heal, to improve, to grow.”

Barack has started looking into even more coaching for his acting. He has also connected with friends from the School of Cinematic Arts and has an “accountability buddy” who helps keep him focused on writing songs, stand-up and film and television projects.

Meanwhile, he’s shot two major television projects since returning from Spider-Man, one of which consisted of a largely LGBTQ+ cast and crew that became another community for Barack.

Mostly, though, Barack’s return has been the calm before the storm.

“This is the least busy I’ve been in four years,” Barack said. “It’s been nice to have a break. My manager said to relish it while it’s here.”

For a talent like Barack, it likely won’t last long.