Cal Barnes

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.[1] His stage play Rise.[2] won ‘Best World Premiere’[3] at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival[4] in Hollywood, California. Barnes has since appeared in the Universal Studios horror film, Unfriended[5][6] (2014), which was executive produced by Jason Blum, and penned the original screenplay for the independent drama, Adolescence[7][8] (2018). He has one published novel, True Grandeur (2017),[9][10] and stars in the upcoming feature film, The Astrid Experience, which marks his directorial debut.[11]

Cal Barnes
Cal Barnes attends the Adolescence Premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 2019
Born
Calvin Ross Barnes

(1988-01-14) January 14, 1988
Salem, Oregon, U.S.
EducationPortland State University, Portland, OR
Occupation
  • Actor
  • Director
  • Screenwriter
  • Film Producer
  • Novelist
  • Playwright
Years active2010–present
Websitecalbarnes.com

Early life and education

Cal Barnes was born in Salem, Oregon.[12] He studied creative writing, journalism, and theatre at Portland State University in Portland before moving to Los Angeles.[13][1] 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.[1] He began acting professionally in 2011 when he landed his first agent and began booking theatrical and commercial work.[14] In late 2011, he moved to the Franklin Village neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, where he began penning feature screenplays.[15][16]

During his time in the village, Barnes penned his first play, Rise[2][17][18][19][12] (2012), which went on to win ‘Best World Premiere’[20] at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival.[4][14] He also wrote his first novel, True Grandeur,[21][22] 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 who takes an interest in him.[23] 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."[24][25]

In 2013, he wrote the original screenplay for the independent feature drama, Adolescence.[7][26][27][16][28] (2019) with his friend Mickey River, which premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on June 23, 2019.[29] He also had a role in the successful horror film franchise, Unfriended[30][31] (2014), which was produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Jason Blum, and released by Universal Studios.

Barnes recently starred in the upcoming feature film, The Astrid Experience (2020), opposite South African actress Lucia Xypteras.[32][33][16][34][14] It marks Barnes's second collaboration with musician John That, the first being the music video Hippy Girl(2014), which Barnes directed.[35][25] The Astrid Experience is Barnes's feature film debut as director.[36][1]

On April 24, 2020, Barnes partnered with Wefunder to bring The Astrid Experience to the platform.[37][12] The project was successfully funded on November 1st, 2020.[38]

Between acting and filmmaking Barnes currently serves as the Head of Creative and CEO of Nineteen Films, a production company in Los Angeles, CA.[25]

Appearances in other media

In 2011, Barnes portrayed the teenage version of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan in the music video for the Avenged Sevenfold 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 October 2020, the video has over 230 million views on youtube.[39]

Filmography

Films
YearTitleRoleNotes
2011PlungeWendellAlso Writer, Producer
2012Faith and Other WeaponsJosh
2014UnfriendedChatroulette Stoner
2018AdolescenceScreen and Story Writer
2020The Astrid ExperienceChase AbbottAlso Writer/Director, in post-production
2021KrisprMatthew SheppFilming
TBDTouch the FireAdam MishenskiAttached
TBDGods of NeverlandPeter PanAttached

Stage
YearTitleRoleNotes
2012RisePlaywrightZenith Ensemble / Hollywood Fringe Festival
2013The Absence of SoundDaneAlso Playwright

Music videos
YearTitleArtistRole
2011"So Far Away"Avenged SevenfoldTeenage Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan
2014"Hippy Girl"John ThatDirector/Producer

Books
  • True Grandeur: A Hollywood Novel (Magic Hour Press 2017) ISBN 978-0999161029[40]

References
  1. Myers, Ashley Scott. Script Magazine Cal Barnes. Script Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2019
  2. Holder, Travis Michael. "Rise is a Roller Coaster of Emotional Impact" Backstage. November 11, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  3. Rise 'Best World Premiere' at the Hollywood Fringe Festival Hollywood Fringe Official Site. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  4. Johnson, Reed. "Hollywood Fringe Festival Performs its Own Way" LA Times. June 20, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  5. Ebert, Roger. "Unfriended Review" Roger Ebert. April 17, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  6. Hall, Sacha. "The Blair Witch Project's Skype Revenge" The Hollywood News. January 17, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  7. McNary, Dave. "Adolescence Getting Distribution" Variety. July 9, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  8. Cook, Michael. Adolescence Review. Thoroughly Modern Reviewer. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  9. Los Angeles Public Library, True Grandeur LAPL Official Site. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  10. Mason, Todd. True Grandeur is a Hollywood Novel for the 21st Century. The California Literary Review. Retrieved May 8th, 2020
  11. Cal Barnes IMDB. Retrieved September 8, 2019
  12. Lynn, Capi. Statesman Journal Speaks with Actor and Filmmaker Cal Barnes. The Statesman Journal. Retrieved August 17th, 2020.
  13. About Cal Barnes. Cal Barnes Official Site. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  14. Myers, Ashley Scott. SYS Interview with Writer/Director Cal Barnes. SYS with Ashley Scott Myers. Retrieved August 5, 2019
  15. Myers, Ashley Scott. LA Screenwriter, Cal Barnes Interview. LA Screenwriter. Retrieved August 7, 2019
  16. Belnick, Jake. Radio Interview with Cal Barnes and Mickey River. Do Me A Solid Show. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  17. Stanley, Steven. "24 Year-Old Barnes Shows Considerable Promise in His Debut Play." Stage Scene LA. November 20, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  18. Birchall, Paul. "Rise. GO!" LA Weekly. June 13, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  19. Manus, Willard. "Barnes Keeps Going Deeper Into Character" Total Theatre. June 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  20. Theatre in LA The Los Angeles Examiner. June 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  21. "A Young Writer is Seduced by Hollywood Life".Kirkus. December 12, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  22. Carlson, Mari. Debut Novelist Cal R. Barnes Takes Us Into the Soul of a Young and Rising Star. The Midwest Book Review. September 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  23. True Grandeur on Audible. Audible. Retrieved September 8, 2019
  24. Barnes, Cal. Cal Barnes Writer Interview. Awesome Gang News. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  25. Meet Cal Barnes of Nineteen Films. Voyage LA. Retrieved November 9th, 2020.
  26. Winterstone Pictures Official Site. Winterstone Pictures. Retrieved May 17, 2019
  27. Adolescence Official Site Adolescence Film Website. Retrieved May 17, 2019
  28. Allah, Amari. Adolescence Review. Wherever I Look. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  29. Adolescence Premiere. Dances with Film Festival Official Site. Retrieved May 22, 2019
  30. GoodyKoontz, Bill. "Unfriended Takes a Clever Stab at Social Media Horror" Statesman Journal. April 20, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  31. Sachs, Ben. "Unfriended Review" Chicago Reader. 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2019
  32. Patta, Gig.The Astrid Experience Shows an Unforgettable Night in LA. LRM Online. Retrieved February 25th, 2020
  33. The Astrid Experience. Cal Barnes Official Site. Retrieved May 22, 2019
  34. Flores, Nica. Interview with Cal Barnes. Radio Public. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  35. Hippy Girl Official Music Video. Noblehoooks Music. Retrieved December 28th, 2019
  36. Moyer, Catie. Interview with 'The Astrid Experience' Triple Threat Cal Barnes. Screen Fervor. Retrieved May 16th, 2020
  37. The Astrid Experience on Wefunder. WeFunder. Retrieved April 30th, 2020.
  38. The Astrid Experience (Announced). The Numbers. Retrieved May 16th, 2020.
  39. AX7, 'So Far Away'. 'So Far Away' Official Music Video. Retrieved May 22, 2019
  40. "True Gradeur by Cal R. Barnes". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved May 8, 2019.


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