Devon Terrell (born 23 October 1992) is an Australian actor,^[1][2] best known for playing a young Barack Obama in the 2016 biographical film Barry^[3] and Arthur in the Netflix original series Cursed.

Early life and education

Terrell was born in Long Beach, California, US, to an African-American father and an Anglo-Indian mother. At age five, he moved to Perth, Western Australia, growing up in the Forest Lakes estate in Thornlie. After finishing his secondary education at Lynwood Senior High School,^[4] he attended Edith Cowan University, specialising in drama education. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2013.^[3][5][6]

Career

Terrell's first role was in Steve McQueen's HBO miniseries Codes of Conduct, which was cancelled after the pilot was filmed. He then auditioned for Barry, a biopic about Barack Obama's college years. Terrell said that he felt an affinity for Obama and that the president had been his dream role since the age of 19.^[7][8]

To prepare for the role, Terrell worked with a dialect coach and watched Obama's speeches to master his accent and manner of speaking. He was offered the part after one audition. He also trained himself to portray the left-handed Obama, including learning how to write and play basketball with his left hand.^[6][7] He read Obama's book Dreams from My Father three times to get into his mindset, and he received praise for his portrayal when the film was released.^[9][10][11]

Later, he portrayed Arthur in the Netflix original series Cursed. The first season was released on 17 July 2020.

Terrell currently plays the role of Cliff in Issa Rae's Rap Sh!t, which premiered 21 July 2022 on HBO Max.

Filmography