hits.

Ben recently spoke with People about how he prepares for red carpet season, how he gets in the zone for shooting scenes, and more. Check out the clip in our video archive, and read more of the interview behind the cut. Screen captures are in the gallery.

Gallery / Video Links:
108 x People | January 2017 (Screen Captures)
– Ben Barnes on 5 Big Firsts In His Career (People) (Jan 2017)

1. He has a unique way of getting ready for a big scene.

If you’re watching Barnes on screen, there’s a very good chance he did one very particular thing right before that shoot: talked to himself in the shower. “My dad once told me that your memory works best the half hour just before bed,” the actor tells PEOPLE.

“So I always read the lines to myself in the shower like a crazy person. Just a crazy monologue in the shower.” His routine the next morning is more calm than crazy, though: He sits down with two things, a cup of coffee and his script.

2. He prepped for his Westworld audition really intensely … but initially didn’t get the part.

“Anytime you’re walking into a situation where you know you’re going to be judged, you want to be really prepared,” he says, and an audition is obviously one of those situations. Add to it the fact that the audition was for a major show on a major network with an already major cast and the desire to be prepared (and to succeed!) was even more pronounced. “I felt like it had a lot more riding on it,” Barnes explains. “I was very, very, very excited and I think I put a little bit more pressure on myself than I normally would.” He spent a lot longer looking over the scenes than he normally does, but unfortunately, it didn’t pay off right away. The casting director told Barnes he was too young for the role and he hadn’t gotten the part. Then two months later, the actor got a call that they’d changed their minds. He hopped on a plane from England and was shooting the very next day.

3. His pre-red carpet routine involves doing much more than just grooming and putting on a tux.

Sure, landing a spot on best-dressed lists is a nice bonus, but Barnes is more focused on staying grounded and getting in a positive mindset in the hours leading up to a red carpet. That means hanging out with friends, eating good food, drinking some coffee and hitting the gym to settle the butterflies. He describes the adrenaline rush that comes with getting into a black town car and heading to the main event then shares his unique trick for fighting the nerves: “When you get in the car, the driver [always] asks, what do you want to listen to? I’m like, I want to listen to whatever you want to listen to, but I want you to turn it up.” He laughs then adds, “Whatever they want, but louder.”

4. Music is also how he gets into character.

For each role he takes on, he assigns that character a particular song then uses it to get in the right mood for a scene. A few years ago, when doing a theater production in London, he’d spend every night before the show started in his dressing room blasting that one song he’d chosen while all the other actors were waiting in the wings. “Then when I heard them say ‘30 seconds until the play starts,’ I’d turn it off, run downstairs and walk on stage feeling really confident.”

5. He’s a master of accents.

We spent a day with the man and take it from us, he can do just about any accent. He seamlessly went from his native British one to a born-and-raised New York tone then wowed us with an Irish brogue and even a spot-on accent of a Spaniard who can’t speak English very well. Barnes also revealed that he’ll sometimes even stay in the accent for the entire duration of a show or play.

Source / Source

cheryl said:

Thanks! The link to People isn’t taking me to anything, though.

January 31st, 2017

cheryl said:

Never mind, it was my ad blocker!

January 31st, 2017

Stephanie said:

Glad you got it to work! :)

I had trouble opening the People links myself. I could only get the pages to open in Internet Explorer. :/ I thought it was just my computer. lol But now I see the problem was my ad blocker as well. .. *feels silly* .. :P

You can watch the clip in our video archive, or here on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/peoplemag/videos/10155300211703132/

The second part of the interview (text) is copy/pasted above. :)

January 31st, 2017

dianna said:

Great clip , great article also.
I could not have expected Ben doing anything else than learning his lines under the shower. It’s adorkable lol
Thanks Stephanie for those great finds !

January 31st, 2017

LaRose said:

Once again Stephanie, thank you so much for constantly finding and posting the latest on Ben. It is very much appreciated.

January 31st, 2017

Carol said:

Interesting reading and video.
You’re definitely not a crazy person, Ben, I’m also talking to myself very often and not only in the shower lol
Thank you very much, Stephanie, for all your hard work!

January 31st, 2017

Marie said:

Great find Stephanie! :D

It’s always nice to find out new tidbits about Ben (a “crazy monologue in the shower”, huh? *lol*). I’m sick of always watching/reading interviews where he’s asked about Hyrise and other questions we’ve heard a million times. :p But having screencaps of his face and all the rest never gets old. Thanks for these Stephanie. ;)

Btw is Dunkin’ Donuts his new sponsor now? :p

January 31st, 2017

Elizabeth Anne said:

What a great interview and I loved the videos! Thanks so much for uploading them Stephanie. He’s looking so handsome here as always. How incredibly talented he is I really think he should have won an award for his incredible performance in WestWorld. His dad sure gave him good advice about memorizing lines.

January 31st, 2017

Tiffany Stells said:

Thanks for this Stephanie! He’s such a cutie. I always love finding out new things about Ben. Delightful!

February 13th, 2017