The actor was inspired by everyone from Maximus in Gladiator to Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.
Ben Barnesis no stranger to fantasy.
And stillShadow and Bonewith its land of Ravka felt unique.
Ben Barnes as General Kirigan in ‘Shadow and Bone.'.Netflix
“You have something likeGame of Thrones, which is about the politics of power and leadership.
That’s what the show is about above all else,” the actor, 39, tells EW.
“Then this show, above all else, is about a sense of identity.
Ben Barnes and Jessie Mei Li in ‘Shadow and Bone.'.NETFLIX
No matter where we come from, where is it that we belong?
That to me is a really wonderful thing for a story.”
That includes General Kirigan.
People revere him and some people fear him and all of the things that is on the outside."
This doesn’t mean Kirigan is now the hero of this story.
Barnes is adamant that he’s 100-percent not.
(Those with knowledge of the books have a deeper understanding of this aspect of his nature.)
But he doesn’t see him as a villain.
“I think an antagonist has an agenda that they believe in wholeheartedly.
If you really sit down and listen, you might understand it in some way,” he explains.
“Like Killmonger [from 2018’sBlack Panther].
you might understand what they’re trying to achieve.
A villain knows they’re evil.
A villain knows that they are behaving in this nefarious way with malicious intent.”
Bardugo has difficulty imagining anyone else in the role of Kirigan.
“Ben brings this tremendous humanity to a character.”
Bardugo and Barnes remained close throughout the production.
He would send texts updating her throughout filming on what they were shooting and ways to shape the character.
When it comes to Kirigan, that sometimes includes actual punches.
