Into the Wild With Lucy Barrett

Photos: Ethan Wright

“I think most women are witches,” says Lucy Barrett. “They just need to tap into it.”
 
Barrett would know more than most. The Aussie native currently enchants audiences on Charmed, playing the third—and perhaps most powerful—of the show’s main coven. But though she spends most of her TV time casting spells, Lucy’s IRL time is more focused on the natural world than the supernatural one. “When you grow up on the coast of Australia like I did, you come to realize the most powerful force isn’t a ghost or anything,” she says. “It’s the ocean!”
 
After you’re done binge-watching Charmed, you can next see Lucy in Sissy, a revenge comedy thriller with Aisha Dee. Until then, read all about her favorite wild element, her must-listen song for nature lovers, and the coolest thing about Finding Nemo.
 

When did nature first become a big part of your life?

I’m from Geelong, Australia, which is right on the coast. Growing up near the ocean, I began to realize when I’d visit the water, I’d feel calm and connected. My mum and I try to go to a place called the Ironbark Basin when I’m home so we can catch up. It’s so beautiful. It’s full of Australian native plants and flowers. You can see the entire ocean from the cliff face, and we go on walks and check in with ourselves and nature. So we make it part of our emotional lives even now.
 

The Charmed Ones use a lot of wild elements—earth, air, fire, water—to cast spells. What’s your wild element, do you think?

Water, for sure. I feel so claustrophobic when I’m landlocked! Besides growing up so close to the ocean, I also had a major awakening when I started hydrating more. It was about 5 years ago when I realized I had to start drinking it. I’d always reach for Gatorade, but when I implemented 2-3 liters of water into my routine, my whole life changed. I’m not even kidding. I had so much more energy—I can’t believe I was living day-to-day so dehydrated. Now, I think better and more clearly. I’m in a better mood. And it made me a better actress.
 

Wait, water helped your acting career?

I swear. Before, I couldn’t cry at all at work! But when I started drinking water, it was a game changer. Suddenly, the tears just flowed. I was like, “Maybe I’m not a terrible actress after all! Maybe I’ve just been keeping hydration from my body!”
 

 

How does nature help your creative process?

When I’m not on a [TV or movie] set, I have to make things happen for myself. When I’m inside trying to write a song or even read a script, I can become very overwhelmed and kind of stagnant. But when I step outside and I notice all the intricate details of nature, it makes me remember how insignificant I am. Life is just flowing. It gets me back into that flow. Being productive sometimes means taking a minute to breathe and meditate. It makes me think, “Everything is going on around us. Life’s not gonna stop, so I’d better get to it!”
 

What’s your favorite song about nature?

Breathing Underwater by Hiatus Kaiyote. The musicality is so complex, it’s like its own ecosystem. Whenever I listen to it, it’s like watching Interstellar. I learn something new every time!
 

What’s your favorite vegan swap?

Nuttelex. It’s an Australian vegan margarine. It’s next level and it’s also more affordable than butter. When I moved into a sharehouse right after college, it was the one thing we couldn’t live without.
 

Do you have a favorite animal fact?

I love that the animal kingdom proves that gender is really a construct of the human mind, right? I was reading about gender bending animals. Do you know clown fish?
 

Like the ones in Finding Nemo?

Yes! In real life, each school is headed by a female, and it’s seconded by a submissive male. Then when the dominant female dies, the male becomes the leader and his sex changes from male to female. All the other fish in the school are hermaphrodites! We love dominant females in pop culture, and that’s very cool—but still, it’s tied to a gender binary that doesn’t actually exist in nature.
 

At Wild Elements, our motto is Let Good Grow Wild. What does that mean to you?

I think to me, it means that in kindness is goodness. You have to plant the seed of kindness one interaction at a time. Eventually, it will grow wild, and create a much bigger network of connection that helps strengthen all of us. Little acts of caring can do that, you know? In fact, I think they’re the only things that can do that.