Ben Barnes reveals a key scene in Shadow and Bone was nearly very different
Having starred in The Chronicles of Narnia, Stardust and Seventh Son, Ben Barnes has a wealth of experience across the fantasy genre. Bonus points for also being my fantasy partner from 2008-present. He's more than qualified then, for his latest role in Netflix's hit Shadow and Bone, which adapts Leigh Bardugo's much-loved series of novels following Alina Starkov - an orphan and soldier who discovers she has untapped magical powers.
Having already revealed that he initially turned down the role of General Kirigan, Ben has also shed some light over a key episode of the series. Episode seven opens with a flashback to General Kirigan's past as the Black Heretic, which sees him witness the murder of a Healer named Luda and provides a partial motivation for his villainy in the story so far.
"There's a book that Leigh's written called The Demon in the Wood, where you see General Kirigan as a kid, and he sort of, almost by mistake, kills the bullies in a river. It explained the through-line of his family and you see how his mother raised him," Ben explained to Digital Spy.
"They were potentially going to shoot it that way, with the child," he continues. "And then they realised that actually you've got the main through-line of the Fold which is a huge part of the story itself... So it was important to have the creation of that, and to see this character as a rebel leader, who actually has all the same beliefs he has now, but just with more conviction about what's acceptable to achieve them."
The more you know, eh?
Shadow and Bone is on Netflix now.
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