Ben Barnes was warned about Dorian Gray role

BEN BARNES is laughing as he prepares for the publicity barrage set to come his way for his latest film, Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray.

By Susan Griffin

BEN BARNES is laughing as he prepares for the publicity barrage set to come his way for his latest film, Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray.

He has the role of the handsome anti-hero and Ben, who shot to fame as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, jokes: "If the name of my character is not in the title of the film then it's not for me."

The 28-year-old soon found out the mammoth task he was undertaking.

"Every other person I have spoken to since they found out I was playing Dorian has said almost in a threatening way, 'Oh that's great because that's my favourite book'. Their faces grimace a little bit as they say, 'You think you can play that do you'?" he adds laughing. But loyal fans better beware because Ben admits a little creative licence has taken place to fit in with "our modern interpretation of this visual medium of film".

For those unfamiliar with the gothic horror tale, Dorian Gray is the story of a man whose youth and beauty is captured in a portrait.

As Gray becomes ever obsessed with the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure, the portrait begins to age with every sin he commits, yet the man himself remains untouched by the ravages of time.

Despite the 100-year gap since its publication, the novel's salient themes about chasing eternal beauty and everlasting youth, whatever the cost, resonate powerfully with our times.

Calling from Australia, where Ben is filming the sequel to The Chronicles Of Narnia, he says he was approached for the role of Dorian while filming Easy Virtue with Colin Firth, who also stars in Dorian Gray as Lord Henry Wotton.

"The producer came up to me a few weeks before we finished filming and said, 'I've got a present for you' and it was Dorian Gray."

Having first read the book in his teens, Ben says his acting experience during adult-life helped him realise the full potential of Dorian's character.

"You realise what is interesting about playing someone who is 46 but looks like he is 21 and the intricacies of it," he says. "It's such a difficult character to empathise with but we have had a go.

"In the book it is all very well to say he goes off for several months at a time, but in the film we decided to make it much more definite - so he's 21 and then he goes away for 25 years and comes back.

"It is much more of a visual impact when he comes back and everyone else has aged," he says.

As the release date looms Ben admits the nerves have kicked in but he is unsure if his life will change drastically once the film opens.

"I don't know," he says. "I certainly appreciate and make full use of all of my privacy and have relative anonymity. When people do approach me it is usually very cordial and pleasant, so I am very lucky in that respect. We will see what happens when Dorian comes out. and the next Narnia as well."

If he sounds relatively calm about taking on such a role then it may have something to do with his upbringing - his father was a psychiatrist and his mother a psychotherapist.

"They were always very sensitive and aware of my moods and everything and very capable of dealing with things," he says.

Ben also has his younger brother Jack, with whom he lives in London, to help keep his feet on the ground.

"I get to travel so much, so it is nice to be able to get home and be with your family and friends," he says. "They all come along to premieres but it is more like a family trip to the cinema."

Then there are the dubious first jobs to serve as a reminder of more humble beginnings.

"Oh yeah, I have mopped up sick in nightclubs before but I'm comforted by the fact Colin Farrell auditioned for Boyzone," he says.

"He is a brilliant actor and someone I admire. If my career can go anywhere near that I will be happy."

Starting out as a young member of a choir, Ben began singing in musical theatre. "Gradually the musical part of it tapered off and I was left with the story-telling part," he says. A pilot in America led to a small role in the fairytale film Stardust followed by work at the National Theatre. "I just went on a run that climaxed with getting Prince Caspian."

It is a role he acknowledges established him in the mainstream.

"I would be a moron if I did not recognise that being in a film like that helped me to get the other roles I wanted to be involved with."

He is excited to be reprising the role in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader and says: "We have been rehearsing and training with swords so it is very exciting. I am the king now and it is good to be the king!"

Sensing he could be called back on set, there is just time to mention less 'king-like' ventures - his appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 when he was a member of short-lived boy band Hyrise.

"I did it as a favour for someone," he says. "I just thought, 'Nobody will know about it and it will be a fun thing to do for a couple of weeks.' Lo and behold YouTube strikes again and manages to destroy nearly every interview I have ever done!"