Ben Barnes quotes:

I had two family members involved in World War I: two great-uncles. One of them is on a memorial in France. And the other was a trench runner who survived the war. The average life span of a trench runner was 36 hours, but he survived the whole war.

I think every film actor secretly wants to be a rock star as well; just that part of the job which requires the extrovert in you. Even if you've become an actor because it's your way of hiding in plain sight, there's still part of you which has that craving.

I'm not that kind of Bob Dylan, tortured creative.

Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors in the history of ever.

Maybe Oliver Stone doesn't lend himself well to remakes or sequels, because he does them so well the first time.

When I finished school, everyone wanted to go to a good university and become a lawyer or a doctor. My A-levels were sort of chosen for me.

I was heavily into sport from 10 to 15, I was in all the teams, and it was everything to me. But I was very young for my school year and when puberty kicked in for my classmates I got left behind.

My mum was raised Jewish, my dad is very scientifically minded, and my school was vaguely Christian. We sang hymns in school. I liked the hymns bit, but apart from that, I can take it or leave it. So I had lots of different influences when I was younger.

Half my fan mail comes from Japan.

My dad is a doctor, a professor of psychiatry, and my mum is a psychotherapist.

Actually what I'd like is to have a reputation as someone who's been wild and gone straight, but without having to go through the trouble of being bad.

I often talk with other actors about that time when you've just finished a job, because I think you do take on the characteristics of some of the characters you play. Sometimes it can be a great thing and sometimes it's a bit haunting because you're not quite sure how to leave it on set. My dad talks about it as being 'de-personalised.'

I don't really see the point in making a film unless you can think of a good reason to do it.

I only remember the end of my dreams, like waking up at a steering wheel, or falling.

Almost every script that I've gotten has been for sort of the generic Hollywood type. I haven't chosen them. All the ones I have chosen are because I've been fascinated with the source material or because of the script.

I think escapism is very important, certainly in my life. I love nothing more than escaping into the world of a film or a novel. To be involved in creating that for other people is a privilege.

You still get these waves of doubt that come over you, for example, when you get a bad review or you accept a part and think, 'Oh, God, what have I just accepted? I can't do that.' I don't think that's something that will ever go away in me.

When I was younger I didn't really know what genre of music I'd want to do because I'd always done so many different types, so many impressions.

I want to take advantage of any popularity I have.

We live in a youth-obsessed, aesthetically obsessed culture. That is no more evident than in the film industry.

I don't believe in that kind of pragmatic career ladder stuff.

Sexuality is a topic that has huge shifts in -society. Attitudes toward different sexualities change, but the actual sexuality of a human being is something that's consistent, and it's consistently interesting, and so people write about it.

I went to a very academically competitive high school. So I was always quite studious and quiet, just to keep up with the other geniuses who were in my school.

When I was at school, I was in choirs more than anything else, from a very young age, about 9 years old. And then I started taking drum lessons.

That's the thing, when you play younger characters they're always less casual. You're hungrier or more naive. Those things wane in time.

I'm probably a little too uninhibited.

Never agree to say or do anything that isn't you.

I love music, and I love singing.

I'd rather be shot than be seen falling out of some trendy club.

I would like to work with whoever would like to have me.

I can't run. I start getting twinges. If I were filmed running, it would be awful.

I want to play characters that are interesting to watch.

I didn't have any pets growing up.

I'm not really an animal person.

Most actors are drawn towards historical tellings because it's one of the most simple forms of storytelling.

I think if actors don't think of themselves as funny in real life they think they can't do comedy.

I always looked really young for my age. And once I hit 23, 24 and 25, I was then allowed to play the cool 18-year-olds and stuff.

I actually went to university.

I am comfortable playing the fool, I think.

I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years and never really find out.

I have done lots of music projects in my life and some of them I am more proud of than others.

I swim a lot. I swim most days.

When you're doing a film, people are always telling you exactly what to do. Literally, your own decisions are taken away from you.