He’s speaking his truth! Never Have I Ever star Darren Barnet weighed in on where he stands on the Team Ben and Team Paxton debate in terms of Devi’s (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) love life, while chatting with J-14 exclusively.
“I’m always Team Paxton, but I’m also Team Devi being happy,” the Netflix star, 32, told J-14 while attending the Never Have I Ever season 4 premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 1. “So, it’s what it is.”
The actor’s character has gone head-to-head with Jaren Lewison‘s Ben when pining for Devi’s love throughout the Netflix show’s four seasons. With a new love interest thrown in the mix in the form of Michael Cimino‘s Ethan, things for the teen will definitely get harder when the final season of Never Have I Ever premieres on Thursday, June 9. That being said, the show will come to an end with a concrete answer on who Devi ends up with.
“The love triangle continues on and lives on into season 4,” Never Have I Ever showrunner Lang Fisher teased during an interview with Entertainment Tonight from August 2022. “Paxton does go to college, but he’s still as big a part of season 4 as he was any other season. But it’s still there. And we do make a choice at the very end.”
When asked about which “team” he was on ahead of the third season in August 2022, Darren gave a more in-depth reply about why his loyalties lie with his character.
“I’m just gonna say I am Team Devi, because I am. I always want her to be happy,” the Love Hard actor told J-14 at the time. “But, I’m getting more into saying and honest answer as best I can. I think I’m kind of split between Ben and Paxton because there’s so many things that work with Ben. They’re so much alike. They’re so challenging to each other, but they drive each other nuts. I feel like they’d always try to be trying to be one-upping each other. Paxton and Devi are kind of complete opposites other than having a good-natured heart. So, either way, I think could be a good thing.”
While Paxton goes to college during the fourth season, he’s still set to be seen walking down the Sherman Oaks High School halls once again. Only time will tell why the character returned to his alma mater.
“There’s just division all over this show, but at the end of the day, Devi ends up happy, so I think that’s all that should matter,” the actor teased to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the final season premiere. “I hope everyone’s happy with that result.”
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