Samuel Barnett
Samuel Barnett
Samuel Barnettis an English actor. He has performed on stage, film, television and radio, and achieved recognition for his work on the stage and film versions of The History Boys by Alan Bennett. His television performances include roles in the BBC comedy Twenty Twelve and in the Showtime drama Penny Dreadful. On 29 March 2016 it was announced that he had been cast in the lead role of Dirk Gently in BBC America's adaptation of BBC's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionStage Actor
Date of Birth25 April 1980
I never wanted to do Shakespeare; I never liked watching it, it's always frightened me, and I've never been any good at it. But I really wanted to work with the director Tim Carroll and Mark Rylance.
I like all sorts of art, that's why I love wandering around The National Gallery.
I love just walking around New York. It's like a whole world in one place.
It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.
I want to be engaged and moved by theatre, there's nothing more disappointing than being left cold. After 'The Author,' I felt wrung out emotionally, like a used tissue.
The Pre-Raphaelites, while very bothered by what the establishment thought of them, also utterly rebelled against it. In everything - social, sexual, emotional - they were out on a limb, pushing the boundaries.
I feel like I've gotten more than a lot of people will ever get. I feel very fortunate.
With Millais's paintings, it's microscopic; when he does hair, it's extraordinary: you can see every strand.