When it comes to Shadow and Bone’s main antagonist, you either love or hate him. However, when it comes to the man who portrays The Darkling? Ben Barnes makes himself impossible to hate.
Recently the 40-year-old actor has been on everyone’s radar!
Whether you fell for his handsome features or charming accent– here are six ways to feed your growing obsession with the Brit.
1. Travel Back to Your Childhood with Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian is the character who most know Barnes portrayed; this was his first lead role after small roles in films like Stardust, guest roles on television, and indie features such as Bigga Than Ben.
Barnes portrayed Prince Caspian in two installments of the Narnia series, the first being released in 2008.
Despite portraying a teenager, he was 27 years old at the release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian! It was said that the directors wanted to have Caspian portrayed by someone the same age as Peter (William Mosley).
From his lush locks that look straight out of a Pantene commercial to his charming Telmarine accent inspired by Inigo Montoya — Barnes captured the hearts of every viewer in his portrayal.
The second installment was The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The film transitioned from being produced by Disney to Fox with a lower budget than the previous. However, this does not hinder Barnes’ performance as Caspian.
No longer was Barnes portraying Caspian as a Prince, as the film takes place three years after the events of the previous installment, he was now playing a King.
The only unfortunate part of this film was the loss of his Telmarine accent in favor of his own, thanks to the change in directors and producers. As much as we love his English accent, there was just something about his Inigo Montoya impression that warmed our hearts and made us smile!
If you’re yet to be enamored and enthralled by King Caspian — check the films out while they are streaming on Disney+!
2. Explore Classic Literature with Dorian Gray
As the titular role in the 2009 adaption of Oscar Wilde’s beloved classic, Barnes shined as the hedonistic Dorian Gray. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 44% rating on the site despite being a fan-favorite character of Barnes.
Some critics call his performance lifeless, but the lush visuals make up for it (at least in our opinion). So if you’re just watching the film for pure Ben Barnes eye candy … you’ve watched the correct film.
What more could you ask for with seductive, sensual scenes staring Barnes himself every waking moment? When he is not busy indulging in Gray’s desires, you get to stare at Barnes smoldering for most of the movie. Barnes not only portrayed Dorian Gray in the film but also read the novel for an audiobook recording!
If you enjoy his voice as much as we do, this audiobook is highly recommended. To take a chance at seeing the ageless hedonist himself, you can stream Dorian Gray on Amazon Prime or buy on Apple, Amazon, and YouTube movies.
3. Check Out His Films That Travelled the Film Festival Circuit
In 2014, we were blessed with Barnes speaking in a New York accent as an Italian Mafia member.
This mobster drama was as cliche as it gets; it even co-stars Harvey Keitel, who is known to be in literally every crime movie known to man. Of course, that claim probably is an exaggeration though we feel like we’ve seen that man everywhere.
Hearing Barnes speak Italian and trying to woo Leighton Meester’s character is an entertaining watch, to say the least.
The plot, as cliche as it can be, will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
By The Gun is available to stream for free with ads on Tubi TV!
Jackie & Ryan was truly a movie to behold. While the plot isn’t for everyone, we believe that Barnes singing on the soundtrack is enough to persuade anyone to watch it.
The romance between Katherine Heigl and Barnes is wholesome.
He is so good at playing every character brought to him, and this time we even get to hear him speak in a Southern accent! With all these accents that he does in each movie, we feel like he could be the Master of Disguise in real life.
To catch Barnes playing a bluegrass loving crooner, you can buy Jackie & Ryan on Apple, Google Play, Amazon Prime, or Youtube Movies.
4. Watch Him Act Alongside Well-Known Faces
In 2013, Barnes starred alongside well-known faces like Robert DeNiro, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, and even the late Robin Williams. The movie also stars Katherine Heigl as his character’s older adoptive sister, Topher Grace as his older adoptive brother, and Amanda Seyfried as his bride.
It is one of the few comedic roles on this list — Barnes seems to enjoy drama projects more than lighthearted ones! He is just too good at playing the handsome, brooding type. However, as Alejandro Griffin, Barnes manages to charm us with his silly and playful demeanor.
While playing Alejandro, who was adopted by the Griffins from Columbia as a child, Barnes caught some flack as he is not from South America. This would not have been an issue if it wasn’t for his Snooki-Esque spray tan and barely understandable Spanish.
Despite the role not aging the best, we would still consider The Big Wedding an entertaining, goofy watch. If you’d like to experience a family so messy that you’re thankful they aren’t yours, it is streaming on the Amazon Prime Super Channel. You can also purchase on Apple, Google Play, and Youtube Movies.
5. Enjoy Him Playing Morally Questionable, Yet Very Attractive Men
Like the Darkling, Westworld‘s Logan Delos is someone you either love or you hate. Despite his utterly terrible motivations and desires that feel like they come straight out of The Purge, he is one of Barnes’ fan-favorite characters.
You get delicious visuals of Barnes indulging in Delos’ greatest desires, lots of eye candy, and lots of gunslinging and murder.
We want to think that Barnes makes a handsome outlaw of the wild west (even if it’s just a theme park)!
Delos is not the man you’d want to bring home to your parents though he’d most likely show you a great time. Westworld is available for streaming on Hulu in the US and Crave in Canada.
Billy Russo is another morally questionable man… with devilish good looks. In Marvel’s The Punisher, Barnes’ character is often called pretty – and it’s definitely the truth. However, Russo is a former Marine, and therefore you know his character is bred to kill.
His good looks as a distraction are one of the main plot points of the first season of The Punisher. Though, how many times could someone get away with highly illegal past-times just because they were hot? Seemingly, an entire first season for Russo.
We fully believe that “morally questionable, yet attractive men” is a trope that only Barnes can pull off flawlessly every time, and we’re not even mad about it.
Both seasons of Marvel’s The Punisher are available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
6. Serenade Yourself with His Music
The most recent venture of Barnes’ on this list, though it’s one that he has wanted to pursue for many years. Barnes released his first single on September 17 with excitement from everyone, including his castmates and fans.
This is the first lead single from his debut EP, Songs For You, and his first musical release outside an official soundtrack. Songs For You is available to stream on all music platforms on October 15!
So what do you think?
Did we miss anything on this list?
Drop a comment below if we did!
Caylynn Demings is a staff writer for TV Fanatic, who you can follow on Twitter.