Pictures: Amalia Osborne.
Not many of us can say we’ve been held at gunpoint, kidnapped, shot, spent time in jail, and survived an earthquake and a volcanic eruption, but for Shortland Street star Ben Barrington, drama has never been far away during his almost 10 years on the iconic soap.
With so much excitement at work, perhaps it’s no surprise that after filming, the actor loves nothing more than returning to the comparative calm at home with his wife Kristie Fergus, their daughter Harley, eight, and Kristie’s son Ollie, 23. Yes, family life might be a little dull versus Ferndale, but Ben wouldn’t really want to have it any other way.
“My real life is definitely boring in comparison to my character’s, but that’s just the way I like it!” he says, joining Woman’s Day for a sweet daddy-daughter photoshoot at their Auckland home. “We built a new deck recently and that’s the most exciting thing that has happened lately.”
In May, Ben, 48, will celebrate a decade on the show. He joined Shorty as Dr Drew McCaskill back in 2015. He can still remember his first day like it was yesterday. Never in a million years would he have expected to stay there so long, he says. Yet working on the beloved soap has been “the hugest privilege”.
He admits, “It doesn’t feel anything like 10 years that I’ve been there and I take that as a good sign! I still have so much fun every day of shooting.”
But as he and Harley, who turns nine in June, cosy up for our photographer, Ben says fatherhood will always be his first priority and greatest blessing. While he and Kristie, an office administrator for cosmetics brand Osmosis, weren’t planning on having children, little Harley is the best surprise that could ever have happened. And almost nine years on, Ben reckons fatherhood just gets better.
“Having kids is wonderful – it really is the best,” he gushes. “All of the cheesy, sappy stuff that you hear and read about having children is absolutely true. It’s wonderful seeing them grow, develop and learn, seeing their personalities shine through and how they absorb the world around them.”
He describes his little girl as a singing, dancing ball of energy and joy, who keeps her family endlessly entertained. Ben – who is also a devoted stepdad to Ollie – says he loves seeing the world through Harley’s eyes.
“She’s very inquisitive about the universe, and also about animals. She askes so many questions about how things work, which I find adorable,” he tells. “She’s just chatting all the time. Every night before she goes to sleep, we cuddle up on the bed and talk. She tells me what she’s thinking about, what’s happened that day at school and what she feels about different things. It’s pretty special having a best little mate like Harley.”
Ben says he can still remember every milestone his daughter has reached. He can recall her first words, the day she crawled and her first steps.
“She just walked across the living room out of the blue – it was such a cool moment,” he shares. “I remember her first day at school. I remember taking her to daycare for the first time. Just all these little moments and milestones that stay with you as a parent, that’s what life is about, really.”
Ben adds that it’s a privilege to see her growing up and embracing all that life has to offer. His favourite time of the week is when he drives her to dance lessons. He thinks she may well have inherited the performing bug. “She does seem to really enjoy singing, dancing and doing little shows, so we’ll have to wait and see!”
Ben admits that Harley is beginning to realise her dad might be a little bit famous. While she’s never been particularly interested in what he does for a job before now, she’s recently noticed her friends making the odd comment about her dad being Dr Drew on Shortland Street.
“It’s quite fun watching that unfold for her. I think she’s worked out now that not everyone’s parents are on TV!”
The past few months have spelled major changes for the long-running show. After 32 years screening five days a week, it has moved to three episodes a week. It’s a reflection of changing habits in television and a tough commercial environment, but Ben remains optimistic about the future. He’s enjoying working with the new cast members and sinking his teeth into exciting new storylines.
“It’s been a very conscious decision on the part of the producers to change Shortland Street up and update it a little bit,” he explains. “There are so many entertainment options out there at people’s fingertips. The entertainment people are consuming now is much snappier and much quicker, so I think the new format reflects that.”
Ben has also had to adjust to work life without his co-star Ria Vandervis, who played his on-screen wife Harper Whitley. Her departure left Ben devastated. The star admits it’s taken some getting used to. He and Ria “bawled our eyes out” filming 2024’s cliffhanger episode, where Harper lost her life after a shocking motorbike crash.
He says producers had to pause the scene more than once as they struggled to hold it together.
“It’s incredibly sad she’s gone, but I feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a long-lasting working relationship,” says Ben, wiping away a tear. “She was just wonderful. She always hit the ball back, which in acting terms means when you’re performing scenes with people, they’re keeping energy up, bringing a scene to life and making it authentic.
“Ria could do comedy, she could do the heavy emotional stuff, she could do it all and she always delivered. Like I say, I was really lucky to have her by my side.”
Shortland Street: New Blood screens 7pm Monday to Wednesday on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
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