Ben Barnes Biography

Fast Facts

• Has supported Greenpeace and the Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Graduated from Kingston University with a degree in English and drama
• Started out as a pop singer after being discovered by "Pop Idol" recruiter Simon Fuller at the age of 17, but turned to acting after his band failed to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003
• Was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre
• Quote: "[on seeing his poster for "Narnia" on Sunset Boulevard] "It was a little disconcerting, you know, when I went over to the States to publicize the film, seeing myself 15 stories high․""
• Quote: "All the best stories, no matter how simple at their core, present you with almost unanswerable questions about how you choose to live your life and why․"
• Often works on projects involving fantasy and fairy tales
• Was one of the four finalists for the role of Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" series
• Based the accent he used for his "Narnia" character, Prince Caspian, on the character Inigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride․"