Calvin Ross Barnes (born January 14, 1988) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, novelist, and playwright. Barnes moved to Los Angeles in 2009, where he began his career by starring in short films, appearing in television commercials, and writing screenplays.Myers, Ashley Scott
Script Magazine Cal Barnes
Script Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2019 His stage play, ''

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a video ...

,'' won Best World Premiere at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival.Holder, Travis Michael
"Rise is a Roller Coaster of Emotional Impact"
Backstage. November 11, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019 In 2014, Barnes appeared in the

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

horror film, ''

Unfriended ''Unfriended'' is a 2014 computer screen supernatural horror film directed by Levan Gabriadze and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The first feature film to be entirely set on a computer screen, it is produced in the so-called Screenlife format. T ...

'', which was executive produced by Jason Blum. He has two published novels, '' True Grandeur'' (2017), and the recently released Peter Pan sequel, ''Son of Neverland'' (2021), which he is also attached to star in.'The Astrid Experience' Star and Director Publishes New Peter Pan Fantasy Series to Star In
EIN Newsdesk. Retrieved November 29th, 2021. He stars in the upcoming feature film, ''The Astrid Experience,'' which marks his feature film directorial debut.

Early life and education

Cal Barnes was born in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

.Lynn, Capi
Statesman Journal Speaks with Actor and Filmmaker Cal Barnes
The Statesman Journal. Retrieved August 17th, 2020. He studied creative writing, journalism, and theatre at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

before moving to Los Angeles. He is the great nephew of New York Mets baseball player, Lute Barnes.

Career

Barnes started his acting career in 2010 when he began booking numerous short films he self-submitted for that filmed in and around

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He began acting professionally in 2011 when he landed his first agent and began booking theatrical and commercial work.Myers, Ashley Scott
SYS Interview with Writer/Director Cal Barnes
SYS with Ashley Scott Myers. Retrieved August 5, 2019 In late 2011, he moved to the Franklin Village neighborhood in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

, where he began penning feature screenplays.Belnick, Jake
Radio Interview with Cal Barnes and Mickey River
Do Me A Solid Show. Retrieved July 2, 2019. During his time in the village, Barnes penned his first play, ''

'' (2012), which went on to win Best World Premiere at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival.Johnson, Reed
"Hollywood Fringe Festival Performs its Own Way"
''LA Times''. June 20, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019 He also wrote his first novel, '' True Grandeur'', which chronicles the tale of Conrad Arlington, a young Hollywood hopeful that moves to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a great artist, all while managing his affections for Gracie Garrison, a young Hollywood

it girl An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...

who takes an interest in him. In an interview regarding the novel, Barnes stated, "I was inspired by some experiences I had in my early twenties when I first moved to Los Angeles."Meet Cal Barnes of Nineteen Films
Voyage LA. Retrieved November 9th, 2020. In 2013, he co-wrote the original screenplay for the independent feature drama, ''Adolescence''.McNary, Dave
"Adolescence Getting Distribution"
Variety. July 9, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019 (2019), which premiered at the

Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chines ...

on June 23, 2019. He also had a role in the successful horror film franchise, ''

'' (2014), which was produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Jason Blum, and released by

. Barnes recently starred in the upcoming feature film, ''The Astrid Experience'' (2020), opposite South African actress Lucia Xypteras.Patta, Gi
The Astrid Experience Shows an Unforgettable Night in LA
LRM Online. Retrieved February 25th, 2020 It marks Barnes's second collaboration with musician John That, the first being the music vide
''Hippy Girl''
2014), which Barnes directed. ''The Astrid Experience'' is Barnes's feature film debut as director. On April 24, 2020, Barnes partnered with

Wefunder Wefunder is a crowdfunding service which connects startups with investors online. Wefunder uses a provision in the 2012 JOBS Act which allows unaccredited investors to purchase equity in early stage private companies. Foundation Wefunder was ...

to bring ''The Astrid Experience'' to the platform. The project was successfully funded on November 1, 2020. On October 27, 2021, Barnes published his second novel, ''Son of Neverland'', a Peter Pan sequel that takes place one hundred years into the future. The novel hit the #1 new release for mythology and folklore fantasy fiction on Amazon for the month of November, 2021. In honor of J.M. Barrie's legacy and support of children's hospitals, Barnes and the publisher set up a charitable fund to continue the endowment. On the official website and in the recitals of the novel Barnes and publisher state that "10% of the net proceeds from this book will go directly towards supporting children’s hospitals, charities, organizations, institutions, and causes worldwide that are designed to keep children safe, healthy, creative, imaginative, and ultimately make their lives better." Between acting and filmmaking Barnes currently serves as the head of creative and CEO of Nineteen Films, a production and sales company in Los Angeles.

Appearances in other media

In 2011, Barnes portrayed the teenage version of Jimmy "

The Rev James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name the Rev (shortened version of ''the Reverend Tholomew Plague''), was an American musician, best known as a member of the heavy metal music, heavy metal ...

" Sullivan in the music video for the

Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...

song " So Far Away", which served as a tribute video to the band's late drummer who passed in 2009. It is the band's first number one single. As of August 2022, the video has over 300 million views on youtube.AX7, 'So Far Away'
'So Far Away' Official Music Video. Retrieved May 22, 2019

Filmography

Films

Stage

Music videos

Books & Publications

* '' True Grandeur: A Hollywood Novel'' (Magic Hour Press 2017) *
Son of Neverland
' (Magic Hour Press 2021) * ''

'' (Prodigy Play Group 2022)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Cal 1988 births American male actors American film directors Male actors from Salem, Oregon Male actors from Los Angeles American male screenwriters American male novelists Writers from Los Angeles Living people Portland State University alumni Writers from Salem, Oregon