en Hardy had to quit \'EastEnders\' because he was starting to get "complacent".
The 28-year-old star portrayed Peter Beale on the BBC One soap from 2013 to 2015, but the \'X-Men: Apocalypse\' actor admits he was beginning to become "lazy as an actor" on the programme.
Speaking on talkRADIO, he said: "The problem with being in it for so long was that I found myself getting a little bit complacent.
"I started to feel myself getting lazy as an actor. I needed to give myself a kick up the a**e and get out there."
Ben admitted he was becoming "restless" towards the end of his \'EastEnders\' stint, because he wanted to try his hand at other projects.
He said: "The trouble with working in soap is you\'re constantly under-prepared no matter how hard you try because you drill out two hours\' worth of material every week.
"It was my decision to leave. I\'m quite restless and I want to work on new things and work with new people."
While it appears he was determined to quit the soap, Ben admitted last year that leaving \'EastEnders\' was "scary".
He said: "Sure, it\'s a great role and there\'s a lot of security being at \'EastEnders\'.
"It was a scary thing to do, but I suppose it was a leap I have to take, because I would have been wondering what else I could have done."
As well as \'X-Men: Apocalypse\', Ben has gone on to star in movies \'Bohemian Rhapsody\' and most recently \'6 Underground\' opposite Ryan Reynolds.
It was announced last week that \'EastEnders\' character Peter has been re-cast, with Dayle Hudson set to take on the role next year.
