- Darren Barnet, plays Paxton Hall-Yoshida, a senior with Japanese and American ancestry.
- Barnet told Brieftake that the set was so collaborative that he and their A.D., Yuko Okuda, communicated in Japanese.
- He has always been proud of his family history.
The third season of Netflix’s famous teen sitcom Never Have I Ever was recently launched, and the performers have a large fan base. It’s no different for Darren Barnet, who plays Paxton Hall-Yoshida, a senior with Japanese and American ancestry.
In addition to Never Have I Ever, Barnet, an American actress, has acted in the Netflix films American Pie Presents: Girls Rule and Love Hard.
The actor’s persona is more than simply his story in the play; his Japanese ancestors accompany him in real life as well.
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The mother of Darren Barnet is of Japanese origin.
On April 27, 1991, Barnet was born in Los Angeles.
His mother is Swedish with Japanese ancestors, and his father is American with German and Cherokee ancestors.
Barnet’s grandfather was swing pianist Charlie Barnet.
Furthermore, the actor has an older and younger sister.
Barnet and his mother moved to the Orlando suburbs when he was 12 years old.
He graduated as the lacrosse team captain from Dr. Phillips High School in 2009.
During interviews, he frequently addresses his parents.
“My Mom, in real life, is Japanese, and she always pushed me to the brink,
and people would miss that,” Barnet stated in an interview with Brieftake.
“Paxton is the type of character that finds things simple, but there’s a lot more going on.”
I’m sure he’s used to being judged immediately as well.”
Berry College, where he acted in plays and short films, awarded him a Bachelor of Arts in 2013.
He wanted to be an actor since he was five years old but didn’t pursue it seriously until college.
In addition, he speaks Japanese, and Spanish, and has studied French.
Darren Barnet’s character was inspired by his Japanese ancestors.
Barnet’s role was supposed to be Paxton Hall, with no mixed races or ethnicities.
His original ethnic background, however, led the writers to include it later in the show.
Barnet told Brieftake that the set was so collaborative that he and their A.D., Yuko Okuda, communicated in Japanese.
“I appreciate any opportunity to practice my Japanese, so when Mindy or
Lang approached me, we were chatting Japanese,” the actress explained in an interview.
They then inquired as to whether he was Japanese or spoke the language.
Barnet said that his mother is Japanese and that he learned from her.
“We’d love to incorporate it into your persona, do you mind?” said Mindy or Lang.
“Of course, we should do it!” Barnet stated that he agreed with the concept.
As a result, the name of his character changed from Paxton Hall to Paxton Hall-Yoshida. “That was fantastic,” the actor said to the interviewer.
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Because of his mixed ethnicity, Darren Barnet struggled to fit in.
Barnet has always been proud of his family history.
However, after moving to Florida, he was made fun of by his classmates for being Japanese.
The mocking would cause him to feel like he wasn’t white enough
when he was with his white friends or Asian enough when he was with his Asian friends for a long time.
This sensation stayed with him even after he graduated from college
and struggled as an actor for the next seven years.
“I felt like I couldn’t fit in anywhere,” he explained to the journalists.
“Even when I initially started acting, I never considered leaning into my Japanese background
because I have this nagging notion that I’m not Asian enough to accomplish it.”
And I was afraid that if I was cast in a distinctly Asian role, there would be backlash.”
