Ben: Dorian Grey is in our psyche
Ben Barnes is not afraid the critics will treat his forthcoming film Dorian Gray as they did Brideshead Revisited.
Ben stars as Dorian in the Ealing Studios adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel, which finished filming this week and is due out next year.
But he hopes fans of the book and the original film will not lash out at the new version.
"It's a good 50 years since the original film, which was well-loved but I think very few people under 30 have seen (it)," he said.
He added that now was a suitable time for a new version.
"There's something about Dorian Gray being in the Zeitgeist at the moment. There's the new [Matthew Bourne] ballet, there is references to it on Family Guy and in quiz shows, it's in our psyche," he said.
Neither does he think the theme of homosexuality is highlighted.
"I think it is underplayed in the book, and it is present in our film but not highlighted.
"You don't need to play up the themes of homosexuality, celebrity, obsession with youth, they are already in the book. The responsibility is to portray the characters faithfully and to make an exciting film for somebody who doesn't know the story as well."