From Upstate To Eden’s Garden: Barry Brooks On Identity, Family, And Finding His Role

The conversation opens with a spark: a long-time fan steps on set as an extra and leaves as a lead. Barry Brooks shares how he became Rico in Eden’s Garden and why the role felt less like acting and more like coming home. Raised by a fierce single mother in upstate New York, he learned love, fairness, and what it means to show up. Those lessons shaped his transition, his sense of manhood, and the tender mother–son arc that anchors the series.

We go deeper than headlines to unpack what representation actually does. Barry followed Eden’s Garden since 2014, drawn to seeing Black transmasculine lives portrayed with care. When Seven King reached out, timing and truth aligned. He describes the set as community: Seven’s all-in craft, Manny Vega’s quiet logistics and care, and a cast that turned into family. The feedback from his hometown has been emotional and eye-opening, with viewers recognizing their people and their pain on screen. It’s the kind of impact that counters erasure with presence and invites empathy where silence once lived.

Barry also dismantles the myth of a “correct” transition path. There is no standard sequence, only personal choices made inside real constraints. Inspiration is welcome; comparison is a trap. We talk about social media’s noise, how to hold boundaries, and why minding your own business can be an act of compassion. And there’s joy threaded through it all: a birthday celebration, a fiancée who has his back, and excitement for the Visible Voices Festival and Pride, where the Eden’s Garden float will meet the city’s streets.

Stream Eden’s Garden on Tubi and pick up Seven King’s book on Amazon. If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs to feel seen, subscribe for the next chapter in our Eden’s Garden series, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories.