Shadow and Bone: One Thing Ben Barnes Changed From Books (And Was So Right)

So when Ben Barnes decided that his character in the Shadow And Bone needed to be more considerate in love matters, he really put his foot down to make some changes in General Kirigan's personality.

Fans remember episode 5 in the first season when the long-awaited kiss between Alina and the Darkling happened. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Barnes revealed that there was lots of thought given to how this particular scene should be portrayed on TV.

And the whole crew decided that Alina would be the one to initiate the kiss.

But Barnes was not completely sold on the idea just yet. He also understood the importance of setting the right example to the audience. So much, so that he fought for a line to be included in the scene.

"I wanted to add something, which ended up being, "Are you sure?". She's still an orphan who doesn't really understand the rules with this man who is willing to burn things to the ground and is manipulating his power," he shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

This should be enough to prove that Ben Barnes has an unquestionably reliable moral compass when it comes to making sure there is enthusiastic consent. He also put a lot of effort into developing The Darkling's character.

Like he said, it was very important to him to bring something of his own to the role.

He claimed that as an actor, he had to come up with ways to motivate his own character's choices. And fans really embraced that.

"I think the idea was to make the Darkling a little more multifaceted. In the books, he's basically "evil" but we never really find out why and we aren't ever really given solid motives for his actions. And if I remember right, Ben Barnes loves giving villains that other side," Reddit user tetewhyelle said.

Well, luckily season 2 is already on its way! So fans will soon have another chance to see the new changes Ben Barnes will make to his character.