Ben Barnes, best known for his acting roles in Westworld, The Punisher, and The Chronicles of Narnia, has opened up about why he decided to press pause on his acting career during the pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com while on tour for his debut album, Where The Light Gets In, the British heartthrob, 43, didn’t shy away from explaining the reasoning behind his decision to put his blossoming acting career on hold to give music a shot.
‘When the pandemic hit and I was sort of flashing forward to the 80-year-old me looking back at my life wondering why I never prioritized writing music,’ he explained.
Barnes, who most recently played the villain General Kirigan on the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, shot to stardom after starring as Prince Caspian in the 2010 version of the popular film Chronicles of Narnia.
His roles took a darker turn when he went on to play sinister characters in HBO’s Westworld and Marvel’s The Punisher before he decided he’d had enough and was ready to try his hand at another artistic endeavor.
‘I’ve played a lot of villains and a lot of bad guys,’ the Dorian Gray actor noted.
‘It was a priority for me to kind of play the guy that you’re rooting for again.’
He explained that picking up a guitar and recording music ‘actually allowed me to release a lot of fear of judgment which I’d had in the decades previous being an actor.’
Ben Barnes decided to press pause on his acting career during the pandemic but admitted he ‘wants to be in a romcom. I love romcoms’
The star decided to press pause on his acting career during the pandemic: I was flashing forward to the 80-year-old me looking back, wondering why I never prioritized writing music’
As a result, Barnes recently released his album, published a music video for the hit song ‘One Minute More’ featuring Monica Martin, and headlined a tour throughout the US and Europe.
The final show of his tour is set to take place March 5th at Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, with a portion of the proceeds from the show being donated to the California Community Foundation after the devastating wildfires almost destroyed the crooner’s property.
The Stardust star revealed the importance of his donation saying, ‘The fires were happening on the very first night of the tour.
‘I was actually on stage in San Diego so it was sort of nerve wracking.
‘I got a call from my neighbor saying the fires are 500 feet away from the house. I didn’t know if my house would be there when I came off stage.’
‘The firefighters and the first responders were just incredible putting that particular fire out very quickly. I was obviously just so relieved.’
Post-tour, Barnes did tease he may not be done with acting just yet telling Daily Mail his hopes for his next project.
‘I want to be in a romcom. I love romcoms. Harry Met Sally, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, all of those,’ he gushed.
The actor is best known for his acting roles in Westworld, The Punisher, and The Chronicles of Narnia (pictured as Prince Caspian)
But it may take some convincing as he subtly shaded today’s love stories saying, ‘They just don’t write them how they used to. I think phones ruined it.’
Barnes wrapped up the U.S. leg of his tour with a show in New York City on February 1 before heading out to perform across Europe.
Sharing a behind-the-scenes highlight video with his 2 million Instagram fans, he wrote: ‘Here’s a look behind the scenes of the US leg of the tour; it’s had been an absurdly wonderful, glorious adventure!
‘I am so in awe of and obsessed with the humans in this video. I’m so grateful to them for loaning me their talents and heart and humor.’
Following his European shows, the star will return to the US to play in Los Angeles on March 5.
