Darren Barnet

Darren Barnet was 28 years old when she was asked to play a 16 teenager.

That Netflix casting call in 2019 changed his career for good, since until then his credits were limited to brief appearances in procedural series. He was born in Los Angeles in 1991 but grew up in Florida. After graduating from Berry College in 2013, he decided it was time to move back to California and try to make a living as an actor.

It was not an easy road.

He spent years working precarious jobs while landing small parts in productions such as Criminal Minds and S.W.A.T.. His real break came with Never Have I Ever in 2020. His role as Paxton Hall-Yoshida was originally written as a flat character, but his Japanese heritage led the writers to explore his personal story in greater depth.

The series became a global phenomenon during lockdown.

The Weight of Being a Heartthrob

After the success of the teen drama, Barnet looked for projects that would take him away from high school. In 2021 he starred in the romantic comedy Love Hard, playing a young man who suffers the consequences of being deceived on dating apps. That move also proved he could carry the weight of a major commercial production.

That same year, he lent his voice to the animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles. It was a move to diversify his career beyond his physical appearance. In 2023, he took part in the film adaptation of Gran Turismo. He played Matty Davis in a movie that grossed more than 120 million dollars at the worldwide box office under the direction of Neill Blomkamp.

The shift toward action movies

2023 was a busy year for the Los Angeles-born actor. He joined the cast of Anyone But You alongside Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. The film was an unexpected hit, earning 220 million dollars on a modest budget of 25 million.

But Barnet didn't want to get stuck in lightweight comedy.

In 2024 she took part in the remake of Road House for Amazon Prime Video, sharing the screen with Jake Gyllenhaal. Her role in this physical action film marked a change of pace from teen parts. That same year she voiced Kenji Kon in the series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. The production premiered in May 2024, keeping her connection to high-profile commercial franchises.

His contract for Never Have I Ever set a starting salary that increased after the third season was renewed.