Yahoo News Exclusive: Marvel's Punisher star was "anxious" to join new BBC drama Gold Digger
Marvel's The Punisher star Ben Barnes has opened up exclusively to Digital Spy about why he was so anxious to join the BBC's new drama Gold Digger.
The forthcoming BBC One series stars Emmy Award-winning Temple Grandin and Howards End actress Julia Ormond as a wealthy and accomplished 60-year-old woman who is swept up in a romance with a man 25 years younger (Barnes).
When we recently chatted with Barnes, he admitted he had apprehension about joining Gold Digger because the role in a UK production differed from recent parts as a New York crime boss in The Punisher and wannabe-cowboy in Westworld.
"I was actually quite anxious about it... I was worried it would leave me feeling a bit vulnerable about how to start, because I think, you know, when you're playing a cocky American cowboy, you sort of develop a voice, and you develop a walk, and the costume makes you feel in a completely different way," the London-born actor explained.
"But whereas with this, it was almost a bit more: 'Well, I have to look at me' – you know?... Because there's no accent. There's no silly walk. There's no outrageous coat."
The actor went on: "And also, a lot of the sort of backstory is a mystery. And so you can't play that too heavily, either. You can't rely on the history of the character to inform how he is now, because he's, you know, using different masks, and he's a man who's trying to come across different from his authentic self.
"It took me the confidence of getting all those slightly bigger American projects to feel like I had the confidence to go back and play something that was a little bit more fly-on-the-wall, and a little bit more minimalist and realist. There's more realism and naturalism."
Also during our recent interview, Barnes explained why he was actually "honoured and pleased" by Netflix cancelling The Punisher. He also dropped hints about another potential Marvel job.
Gold Digger will be premiering on BBC One on Tuesday, November 12.
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