With ‘The Punisher’ and ‘Westworld,’ Ben Barnes finally hits his stride as a serious actor

Ben Barnes—PHOTOS COURTESY OF NETFLIX

NEW YORK—“I have the quickest makeup compared to everybody in ‘The Punisher.’ Just a blow-dryer and some powder—and I’m good to go (laughs),” Ben Barnes told us when we visited him early this year on the set of Netflix’s latest superhero series, which began streaming yesterday.

But, looking all glammed-up or camera-ready is easier to “pull off” if you possess the dashing good looks of the 36-year-old actor who, in his early years as an actor, had to hurdle casting “limitations” because he looked “too handsome.”

In fact, after making heads turn for his short appearance in Matthew Vaughn’s romantic fantasy “Stardust” (2007) and playing career-boosting title roles in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (2008) and “Dorian Gray” (2009), it took a while for Ben to start hitting his stride as a serious actor worthy of “more complex” characters—like the “baddie” Logan in HBO’s sci-fi Western series, “Westworld.”

Distracting beauty

These days, Ben attributes his relative success to age more than his “distracting beauty.”

“It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part to take on ‘darker’ roles,” he told us. “Colin Firth, whom I worked with twice in a row, once said to me, ‘You’re not going to be interesting until you’re 35—so deal with it (laughs)!

“For the first 10 years of my career, I played earnest and virtuous boys-to-men characters, like Prince Caspian. It took me some time to find opportunities that stretch my limits and let people see me in a different light. It’s way more challenging to play naughty characters and mine cynicism and darkness.”

In “The Punisher,” Ben plays mysterious millionaire Billy Russo, the best friend and former Special Forces colleague of Frank Castle, aka the Punisher (Jon Bernthal). Frank has made it his mission to fight the criminal underworld following the violent demise of his wife and children.

But, Ben was quick to add that his characterization wasn’t really anchored on the character in the comic book.

“We were not encouraged to look at the comics in terms of character development, because the approach we used for the show was a very grounded one. Frank was introduced in Season 2 of ‘Daredevil,’ but his character and mine have slightly different backgrounds in the series than the ones you’ll find elsewhere.

“In the comics, Ben is often perceived to be a gangster. But, in our story, he’s an ex-military man. He served in the same unit as Frank’s in the Middle East. That introduced a whole new dynamic in terms of what my research as an actor should be. So, I was guided by the script as I created a new character.

Jon Bernthal is The Punisher

Preparation

“My preparation involved watching a lot of documentaries about the Special Forces…and I got obsessed with it because there was an unbelievable amount of footage online. I would watch the videos and see what I could and couldn’t do. I’d say, ‘Oh, I can do those…but only three of them (laughs). That was a good leaping-off point to begin building the confidence I needed to be credible in the role.

“The thing about ‘The Punisher’ as opposed to the other titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that, in the series, nobody has superpowers. Despite having prodigious skill sets, everybody in it is human, including Frank. We see the character’s faults, not just his goodness. And we find what’s virtuous about characters you don’t normally classify as heroic.”

When asked to describe his role, Ben said, “Billy is very well-put-together. He runs a private military corporation that deals with private security. He wants to convey that air of success, so he’s an expensive car-driving and Ferragamo-wearing guy. That’s one way for him to show control over his life. Some of the former soldiers deal with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in different ways—and Billy’s no exception.

“But, he’s dealing with it the best he can—he’s forged ahead by focusing on the future and helping other war vets who are lost or angry. It’s no secret that Frank has suffered trauma, but the show isn’t just about him. It follows five or six other characters who manifest diverse psychological reactions to suffering. For me, that’s what makes the series a standout.

More real than aspirational

“I find this fascinating because my father’s a psychiatrist and my mother’s a psychotherapist—so, yeah, I’m such a mess, right (laughs)? This approach to a superhero show keeps the story grounded and ‘relatable.’ It’s more real than ‘aspirational’—because when you watch a show like ‘Luke Cage,’ you know you can never be bulletproof like him.”

He said he hoped viewers would similarly embrace “The Punisher,” because the fans’ positive reaction to “Westworld” has been a pleasant surprise to Ben. He disclosed, “It’s lovely for me because I was doing this show when ‘Westworld’ came out. It was nice to be on the subway and have people come up to me and say, ‘Hey Mr. Westworld. You’re a d*ck!’ It was fun to know that the show was in people’s consciousness. So, yes, I enjoyed being a d*ck (laughs).”

Was it difficult for Ben to “adjust” to his coactors who have had a chance to gel over a period of time in a string of “interconnected” TV series?

Ben answered, “My first-ever professional job was in a film called ‘Stardust,’ where I played the dad of the character who would eventually grow up to be Charlie Cox. He plays ‘Daredevil,’ so that’s my link to him. As soon as I got this job, I called him up. He found my apartment here for me. We’ve known each other for about 10 to 15 years. I was also in the movie, ‘Killing Bono,’ where my love interest was Krysten Ritter, who plays Jessica Jones.

“By the time I was tapped to do the show, I have already watched every episode of “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones”—because I’m very loyal (laughs).

“But, I hope the fans don’t feel too ‘sentimental’ about ‘The Punisher’ they know, because ours is a fresh take on the character. And I think that’s the best way to do TV these days. You have to be bold. Our showrunner Steve Lightfoot literally said to me that the reason he took this job was because none of its lead characters had superpowers. ‘I want to make a drama that has the bite of a graphic novel and the superhero world,’ he said—and I think that’s what we’ve accomplished.

“But, what makes the show even more fun for me is discovering new things episodically, because we’re only given the script every two weeks…that’s part of the thrill. At this point, I’m not entirely sure about what will happen to Billy, but I have an idea…because I’ve already read 10 of ‘The Punisher’s’ 13 episodes. If you asked me about this last week, I wouldn’t be able to give you an answer.”