Barney Harris
Barney Harris | |
|---|---|
 Harris at Fanstic Fest 2024 | |
| Born | Barney Alexander Harris 15 July 1996 London, England, U.K. |
| Education | Eton College |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2015 – present |
Barney Alexander Harris (born 15 July 1996) is an English actor, writer and producer. He is best known for playing Mat Cauthon in season one of the Amazon Prime Video fantasy series The Wheel of Time.
Early life and education
Harris was born in London to Jewish parents[1]and educated at Eton College.[2] He is the nephew of bookmaker Victor Chandler and great-grandson of William Chandler. He first discovered his passion for acting in a school production of Jerusalem, in which he played Johnny "Rooster" Byron, the role originated by Mark Rylance.[2]
Career
Harris made his television debut in the BAFTA-nominated BBC series The Hollow Crown, a series of television film adaptations of William Shakespeare's history plays. He appeared as Prince Edward opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Okonedo.
His film debut was in Ang Lee's war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) as an American soldier suffering with PTSD. The film stars Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart and Vin Diesel.[2]
Following Lee's film, Harris appeared in the biographical crime drama Billionaire Boys Club (2018),[3] opposite Ansel Elgort, Emma Roberts and Taron Egerton and in the BBC thriller Clique.[4]
He was awarded a place on the UK Screen Stars of Tomorrow 2016 by Screen International, alongside Josh O'Connor and Florence Pugh. His first leading role came opposite FKA Twigs in Brighton Beach (2017).[4]
In 2019, Harris was cast as Mat Cauthon in Amazon Prime Video's epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time, based on the novels by Robert Jordan.[5][6] He was replaced by Dónal Finn for the second season.[7] No official reason was given for the change,[8][9] but critics praised his performance opposite Rosamund Pike in season 1. Forbes magazine stated "Barney Harris plays Mat Cauthon perfectly—both his charm and the darkness that begins to overtake him." [10] [11][12] In March 2025, Yahoo reported the recasting was due to reasons pertaining to the actor's mental health. [13]
His next projects include the horror film The Severed Sun (2024);[4] Desperate Journey, directed by Annabel Jankel; and the Netflix romantic-comedy film My Oxford Year, starring Sofia Carson and directed by Iain Morris. [14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | All Roads Lead to Rome | Tyler | [15] |
| 2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Sykes | |
| Billionaire Boys Club [4] | Izzy Samedi | ||
| Sweet Maddie Stone | Tike | short film | |
| 2017 | Starboy | Yehud | short film, Best Actor Oxford Film Festival |
| Brighton Beach | Danny | ||
| Melodie Saviour [16] | Writer | short film | |
| 2018 | A Brixton Tale | Charles | |
| It's Me | He Aged 18 | ||
| 2023 | Good Boy | Producer [17] | |
| 2025 | The Severed Sun | John | |
| A Desperate Journey | TBA | post production | |
| My Oxford Year | TBA | post production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Hollow Crown | Prince Edward | 2 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Clique | Barney | 6 episodes[4] |
| 2021 | The Wheel of Time | Mat Cauthon | main role, season 1 |
References
- ^ "Barney Harris". Jewish Film. 9 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Sandwell, Ian (16 October 2016). "Barney Harris, Stars of Tomorrow, 2016". Screen Daily.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (18 August 2018). "Film Review: Billionaire Boys Club". Variety.
- ^ a b c d e "Barney Harris". Independent Talent.
- ^ Petterson, Erik (14 August 2019). "'The Wheel of Time': Amazon Adds Five to Cast of Series Based on Fantasy Books". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (14 August 2019). "Wheel of Time Series Rounds Out Main Cast". Variety.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (20 September 2021). "'The Wheel of Time': Dónal Finn to Play Mat Cauthon in Recasting on Amazon Series as Barney Harris Not Returning for Season 2". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Griffin, Louise (10 March 2025). "The Wheel of Time's Mat Cauthon Recast Explained; Who Is Actor Dónal Finn?".
- ^ Pierce-Bohen, Kayleena (21 September 2023). "Why Mat Was Recast for Wheel of Time Season 2". ScreenRant.
- ^ Kain, Erik (18 November 2021). "'The Wheel of Time' Review: Epic Adventure, Lackluster Design". Forbes.
- ^ Dellingpole, James (11 December 2021). "Even Worse than the Books Amazon Prime's The Wheel of Time Review". The Spectator.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (16 November 2021). "Wheel of Time Grinds Things Like Plot and Character to a Screeching Halt". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Zafar, Ayesha (24 March 2025). "Why Did Barney Harris Leave The Wheel of Time". Yahoo.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (21 June 2023). "Cornish Folk Horror Starring The Witcher Breakout Emma Appleton Wraps Production". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Barney Harris Filmography". Amazon UK. 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Maxim Baldry Interview". Wonderland. 20 July 2018.
- ^ "Good Boy". IMDb. 12 May 2024.
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