Barry lost his brother just before Christmas. At the beginning of March, during the first lockdown, Rimmert was already hospitalized with severe pneumonia. When no more visitors were allowed, Barry decided to stay in the hospital with his brother. “It went very badly with him, so I was in hospital with him for eight days,” says the actor. “I took care of him, stayed the night. That was very special, and was possible because I was free because of corona. Even though it was exciting, it was real. quality time.”
“He taught me many life lessons; to love unconditionally, not to judge, to really connect with the people around you and to have fun with passion.”
–
In the interview, Barry indicates that he especially missed cuddling with his brother. “Such a virus really makes you think about how important that is,” he says. “That’s why next year I’m going to catch up with all the hugs and give a lot of love. I’m going to hug everyone, all the time. That’s the core thing you get to.”
Despite the intensely sad news, there are also good times ahead for the Hug-star. His girlfriend, Noortje Herlaar, can give birth at any time. “The first few months of 2021 I will be free, I will welcome the new baby and enjoy it in peace,” the expectant father looks ahead. “I suspect this will be my last.”
–
Rimmert had Down’s syndrome. Barry always spoke very candidly and lovingly about his brother in interviews. He also made a solo performance about Rimmert around the age of thirty. “The fact that I could give him a voice, that I could connect with the audience through his story, suddenly made me realize what exactly this work can have”, the actor said about this in the book. Everything is film.
Atsma presented the program for BNN in 2014 Down for Dummies. In 2010, the two brothers posed for the Down2Famous calendar, which wanted to positively promote people with Down syndrome.
–
