Narnia Fans » Behind the Wardrobe

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it! This has been a real pleasure.

I also apologize to all our readers for my tardiness in posting this article. I had some problems with my internet connection so sending/recieving responses from Mr. Gresham was imparied.

For this week: On Prince Caspian and Beyond.

PS. To all fans who want to stay spolier free don’t worry. Aside from one slight question there are no spoilers. Mr. Gresham and I felt it best to save some surprises for all of you as if we told you everything there would be not point in either reading the book or seeing the film. Mr. Gresham did a great job of dodging a round some of those questions at that. If there is anything spoilerish, I’ve blocked it out as usual and you can highlight it.

So without further ado… let’s get on with the interview!

On Prince Caspian and beyond

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JS: The new film was greenlit during the first films first week end in theaters. Did this surprise you?

DG: No, I was talking about it with Mark and Andrew at the Premiere of LWW. They both told me that they wanted some time off first.

JS: Time off! Didn’t they know people wanted more movies ASAP?

DG: Everybody needs a break now and then, even if they are movie makers and love what they do.

JS Did you feel you needed the time off from the project before going on to the sequels?

DG Not really, time off is something that I don’t really handle that well, I am happiest when I have the next challenge ready and waiting for me.

JS: How do you feel about Ben Barnes as Caspian?

DG: As Co-Producer I was one of those who hired him.

JS Which casting choice do you like the most?

DG: The four Pevensie children, I could not choose between them.

JS: I do agree with you on the Pevensies. Soon as I saw the cast photos on the internet I thought they looked exactly as I imagined.

DG: I always thought so too.

JS: I read that the producers decided to give Caspian and the other Telmarinians a more ethnic flavor in contrast to the Pevensies. How do you feel about this?

DG: As Co-Producer I was one of the team that considered and discussed this decision.

JS: I admit the casting for the Temarninians is a fitting idea. The names( such as Caspian, and Miraz) do have an almost exotic flavor to them.

DG: To say nothing of Sopespian and Glozelle for example.

JS: And from what I’ve seen of pictures from the film on the internet, ( such as the teaser poster) Ben Barnes fits the part of Caspian perfectly. I can’t wait to see how he acts as the part, myself. If he’s anything as good as the actors and actresses who brought the Pevenises to life I have the feeling he’s going to blow a lot of people expectations out of the water.

DG: Ben does look pretty right, but he is also a very accomplished young actor.

JS: How have the young actors from the first film grown?

DG: Upwards mostly and in Anna’s case outwards in all the right places. Naturally they are a couple of years older and thus they are growing up in every way.

JS: From what you’ve seen so far, can you say that Prince Caspian is even better than the first film in terms of story telling, acting and special effects?

DG: I am not about to give anything away, but we have tried very hard to make sure that it is.

JS: What’s different with this film as opposed to the last one?

DG: Start by reading the book and then you should be able to tell me.

JS: Well, I did just finish reading the book Prince Caspian, but I guess for those who haven’t read the book yet we should save them a few surprises. Wouldn’t you agree?

DG: Of course.

JS: Have you seen the rough footage of Reepicheep? How does it look?

DG: As yet I have not seen any more than pre-vis stuff an thus it is far too early to tell how he will turn out, but I have great faith in our team.

WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS JS: I heard rumors of Susan fighting in the film? Are these true?

DG: Wait and see the movie.END SPOILERS

JS: There is only one character that they haven’t announced who’s playing him. That of Reepicheep the mouse. Can you tell us who’s voicing him or is that kept under wraps?

DG: Well I probably know more than you do about that and if I told you, then you would probably know as much as I do.

JS: How about your role in the film? Are you allowed to talk about it, or is it also kept under wraps?

DG: I don’t talk about it but I am not sure that I am not allowed to.

JS: What can fans expect from this new film?

DG: A very enjoyable evening or two, or three or four or in some cases five or six depending on how often you see the movie.

JS: It’s been as much of a dream of mine to see the Narnian Chronicles adapted into movies as much as it has been yours. So you can definitely count on me to plan to be one of those fans to see Prince Caspian in theaters more than just one time. I have to give you all reasons to make the rest of the series!

DG: Good idea!

JS: How about future films?

DG: If you know anybody with a spare few hundred million, please send them my way so that I can get started on The Science Fiction Trilogy at once.

JS: I’ll be sure to send the first person I find with a few spare million dollars your way to have The Space Trilogy made. I want to see those too!

DG: A few spare millions won’t quite cut it, I will need a few spare hundreds of millions to make that series.

JS: Again, thank you so much for your time, Mr. Gresham.

DG: You’re very welcome.

JS: NarniaFans everywhere are already looking forward to the next film.

DG:I know, that’s why we’re making it.
Blessings all, Douglas Gresham.

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe .

On The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe-

JS: The first Narnia movie did extraordinarily well at the box office, and exceeded many people’s expectations . What was your reaction to this?

DG: I expected it.

JS: So then it was really no surprise to you when The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ended up being one of the top grossing films of 2005 along with the likes of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith , Batman Begins, or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

DG: Not at all, what surprises me is that those other movies did so well.

JS: I as a fan thought it was pretty neat that the first time outing for the Narnian film franchise did do as well as such films with a pre-established fan basis, such as Star Wars, Batman, or Harry Potter.

DG: We are all very happy about it too, but of course this success means that we have to make our next movie even better.

JS: Do you think Jack would have been pleased with the film? If so, in what ways?

DG: I certainly hope so otherwise I wasted five years of my life. I think he would have loved the realism we brought to unreal estates and characters. I also think he would appreciate our faithfulness to his book.

JS: Where you pleased with the film?

DG: As a producer of it, if I hadn’t, I would only have had myself to blame.

JS: What do you think led to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe being done so well in terms of acting and quality of the production?

DG: Thousands of things, Philip Anschutz, Mark Johnson, Phil Steuer, Perry Moore, Marcus and McFeely, Andrew Adamson, KC Hodenfield, Roger Ford, Don McAlpine, Howard Berger, William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Isis Mussenden and —but I think you should be beginning to get the idea. Had I the time and you the space I would name every single member of all the teams that put the movie together from the very first to the very last in no particular order. The folks who cleaned the toilets, serviced the generators, drove the trucks and did a myriad of tasks that the public never even think of, all contributed to how well the movie was made. Each and every one of them was indispensable, and I owe them my heartfelt gratitude and admiration.

JS: Of any one in the film, who do you think gave the best performance?

DG: I did. How on Earth could I single out anyone else?

JS:So would you say the film was more of an ensemble piece?

DG: I think the nature of the story makes it imperative that the film be a team effort not only among the cast, but also with all the invisible members of the team, those amazing guys who do the CGI for example, and everyone else involved. I think that it is important that the star of the movie is in fact the story itself and that no one performance eclipses that.

JS: I felt in terms of casting one stroke of genius was that none of the actors were “major names” ( ie No Michelle Pheiffer as Jadis, or James Earl Jones as Aslan or Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff as Susan and Lucy).

DG: Yes, I agree with you.

JS: Adamson did a marvelous job directing the film. A lot of things he did had always been things I would have done if I made the film. (Such as opening with the air raid on London, haveing Peter and Edmund wear armor into battle, and even the relationships with the children.) He also did a great job making people who weren’t fans of the book interested in what was happening in the story and care for the characters.

DG: Yes indeed. Human beings are made for relationships, firstly a relationship with God and to achieve a good relationship with God we must guard and develop our relationships with our fellow human beings.

JS: In terms of the children, (and even Adamsons direction) they were perfect in the roles. They actually seamed like real life siblings!

DG: And I think that you will find that they actually feel very like siblings in real life. We are so fortunate to have found four really good young actors who are not only that but also very nice people. As the making of the film progressed it soon became evident that a strong bond was developing between the four children and that in turn came through onto the screen.

JS: How was it to have the cameo as the radio announcer?

DG: Fun, but not as much fun as my cameo in Prince Caspian. >:-}

JS: Did you approve the changes made to the film from the book?

DG: Again, I am a Co-Producer which means that I am one of the team that makes those decisions.

JS: I have to admit one of my favorite things in the film was the design of the wardrobe. Many fans of the book noted that etched onto it were scenes depicting the events of The Magician’s Nephew. Was this your suggestion?

DG: No, I think that came from Andrew or it may have been Roger, I am not sure.

JS: What was your favorite scene in the film?

DG: All of them.

JS: I take it as co-producer you got to be onset?

DG: Yes, of course. My ancillary duties meant that I could not spend as much time as I would have liked to on set, but I did spend quite a lot of time there.

JS: Seeing it on film was great , but to actually see it (come to life), well that had to be amazing!

DG: To me it was both exciting and hugely gratifying. After all it is not a gift given to many people to watch an almost life-long dream come true.

JS: I know when I saw the film it actually seemed like the Narnia I saw in my imagination.

DG: I am so glad that you say that, it means that we got it right.

That’s it for this week. Come back next week when wrap up the interview series with part six, in which we’ll get some special ( and spoiler free) sneak peeks into the next installment of the series Prince Caspian

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Narnia Film Project.

JS: Why did it take so long for films of Narnia to be made?

DG: My theory? The Holy Spirit of God held them off until the time was right.

JS: Do you think the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series helped Hollywood realized there was an opening for Narnia?

DG: Not really, we had a film deal in place long before they ever started on those two projects, It came to nothing in the end, but we had to wait until the
rights were free before we could move on.

JS: The time certainly was right for the Narnia films in terms of the technology to bring them to life as well as the fact that general film going audiences (beyond just the fans of Jack’s books) wanting more fantasy films. That was pretty much what you were waiting for, correct?

DG: No not really, I had already been trying to get good films made for many years before we actually got the first one done. It was in fact the Holy Spirit of God that held things up all those years until the time was absolutely right for LWW to appear before the public. It is true enough that we could not have made the movie that we did as little as a year earlier than we did, and indeed our teams pushed the available technology right to the edges of its performance envelope in making the movie. It is also true that to some extent Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series and the advent of J.K.Rowlings work did call attention to fantasy in film, but this was a market that I had already seen to be existent years before. In fact years before Peter made LOTR, and years before Rowlings even wrote her first book! I was all fired up and enthusiastic long before the time was right, and God had to yank my reins pretty hard to slow things down. For me, to be told to just shut up and wait, is one of His hardest instructions to obey.:-)

JS: Yes, I’m familiar with the early ideas for the Narnia film (the modernized version set in LA, with Edmund being tempted with a burger and milk shake instead of Turkish Delight). I take it that it is a case of “the less that is said about it”, the better?

DG: Absolutely. Looking back now though, it is rather gratifying to have been proven to be right to stick to my guns, through considerable pressure, on how the LWW movie should be written and made.

JS: Though I must say I don’t think that version could have even been done. Mostly for their reason all the names are too British to pass off as American. (I’ve never meet any one in the states with the name Edmund, Digory or Eustace)

DG: Interestingly, the US is the only place today where I do occasionally run into such names, the exception being Digory, but just wait till we make The Magician’s Nephew.

JS: Have you ever seen the old BBC mini-series versions of the Narnia books?

DG:Yes.

JS:What is your opinion on them(and please be honest)?

DG:With the budget they had and the technology available at the time they did a pretty good job other than the monumental miscasting of one or two of the characters.

JS:Why did they never do the other three books in the series?

DG: I have no idea.

JS: I’ve heard rumors they didn’t do The Last Battle or The Magician’s Nephew as of the seven books they were the most “Christian”. Are the rumors this true?

DG: Obviously not because they aren’t.

JS: I know that both Jack and Tolkien had very low opinions of what Disney had done with various fairy tales. … How do you think Jack would have felt about Disney releasing the new films?

DG: To straighten things out, Disney is the Distributor of the films, and they have actually (so far anyway) been extraordinarily good to work with. Disney have the best distribution network in the world and they are good at it, so I hope Jack would have no qualms about them distributing the movies.

JS: On the note of Disney, what are your feelings on seeing Aslan next to such characters as Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog on Disney websites and at stores?

DG: I don’t really feel anything about it as I have never seen it. I think Jack would have rather like Kermit, I know I do.

JS:I know a lot of fans were concerned about Disney releasing the films, primarily that the themes would stay intact, do you think their concerns were valid?

DG: As I said above Disney only distribute the films. A lot of people got their knickers in a knot over it all but you tell me, were their concerns valid (I am presuming that you have seen the movie)?

JS: I did see the movie of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I don’t think the concerns were valid. Just a case of reading way to much on the internet. I had the feeling though that the films would be accurate to the books and contain the same imagery and themes simply because it would have been impossible to tell the Narnia stories with out those aspects. ( That and you were co-producing and serving as creative consultant. I didn’t think you’d let them work around those parts).

DG: Part of my responsibility is to try to ensure that no matter how much the stories are changed to fit into film format (and major changes can be vital) the essential theme of the original book always remains the theme of the movie.

JS: How did you feel about Disney releasing them? Were you concerned at all about it?

DG: I had a good talk with Dick Cook and Mark Zoradi about it and decided that it was the right thing to do.

JS: What did you think about the merchandise?

DG: Well as co-producer it was (and is) one of the things I am in charge of so I really had better not comment other than to say that I think our team did a pretty good job.

JS: I do think the merchandising was handled well. Not too much, and not to little. I was quiet glad to finally have Narnia action figures to reenact my favorite parts with (or just to display Aslan next to my Gandalf from LOTR on the top of my book shelf where I keep my books by JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis.) I must commend you all for handling it so well.

DG: Thank you, but I was disappointed at how the merchandise was distributed and marketed and have to accept that I was something of a neophyte at that stage (to be perfectly honest I had very little knowledge of what I was doing) but I have learnt a lot and I hope to do better with Prince Caspian.

JS: What’s your opinion of having Narnia characters and various things about the world at Disney theme parks?

DG: As that is another of my areas of responsibility I am obviously for it.

JS: Filmgoers and fans compared the Narnia films with the Lord of the Rings adaptations in terms of quality, do you think this was a fair comparison?

DG: I think we did better than they did—obviously. But really that is a bit like comparing bulldogs with ballerinas.

JS: It’s been confirmed that all seven books will become films. What’s your opinion on this?

DG: That really is a silly question, almost everybody knows that my ambition has been for a long time to make all seven Narnian Chronicles, Jack’s Science Fiction Trilogy and Till we Have Faces into great movies.

JS: I knew full well you wanted to do all seven Narnian Chronicles as films, I’ve only just heard about Screwtape, but I never knew anything about wanting to do the Space Trilogy or Till We Have Faces as movies! ( Note to readers: this is what happens when you trust in WIKIPEDIA.) That’s awesome! I take it you have no word on how those projects are going yet?

DG: Screwtape is in pre-production and we have a very talented young writer wrestling manfully with the screenplay (a very difficult one to write). We have the core of the team in place and are progressing slowly. The Cosmic Trilogy and Till We Have Faces are as yet merely dreams and hopes in my mind, but if you know anybody who has a few hundred million dollars to spare and a real desire to make some great films, please give him or her my email address.

JS: Wait. What about The Great Divorce or Pilgrim’s Regress. Are there any intentions with those ones for film adaptations?

DG: I have had some talks about The Great Divorce, but nothing has come of that yet, and Pilgrim’s Regress is way down on the priority list.

JS: I guess I (and some other NarniaFans as well) will have to reserve spaces on DVD shelves to put the films inspired by Jack’s novels next to the LOTR Extended Editions!

DG: Its a nice thought.

Come back next week when we discuss the film of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On Jack’s Life, “The Dark Tower”, and other matters.

JS: I read your book,Jack’s Life. I have to admit it was one of the best biographies I’ve read about him.

DG: Thank you.

JS: I felt at times while reading it that I was reading on of Jack’s own stories as it felt a lot like one in terms of how you wrote it. Was that your intention?

DG: Not at all, but it is a very fine compliment and I thank you for it.

JS: I’m assuming you used secondary sources to get the information on his childhood and everything up to the point of his meeting with your mother. What sources did you use?
DG: The Hooper/Green Biography, The George Sayer Biography, and the Companion and Guide by Hooper, but mostly merely to check dates and details for accuracy.

JS: How come no one has yet to make a “good” bio-pic on CS Lewis, meaning a film that accurately portrays his life?

DG: How do you accurately portray 65 years in less than 65 years? But I think that someone sooner or later will attempt to do so and when they do I hope I am still around to help.

JS: I read one of Jack’s short stories ” The Dark Tower”. Are you familiar with it?

DG: Of course.

JS: There is a huge controversy about that story as there is some debate as to whether or not it is a “true” Lewis tale. Do you think it was?

DG: Of course it was. The whole controversy thing was engineered for very personal reasons by a lady who is now dead. Her fanciful theories have been pretty thoroughly discredited.

JS: Do you ever remember him talking about it?

DG: “The Dark Tower”? No, but another of her targets, “The Man Born Blind” (originally working titled “Light”) Jack read to me when I was but a lad.

JS: I have read “A Man Born Blind” as well as the rest of Jack’s short stories and that they would make great made-for-TV movies ( or episodes of a TV show like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits). Have you ever given much thought into having those adapted from stories to the screen? I know I’d enjoy them!

DG: I haven’t actually thought of that, partly I suppose because I am not exactly short of projects already.

JS: Another one of his short stories that intrigued me as “After Ten Years”, a fragments of a novel about the journey of Menelaus and Helen of Troy. Why didn’t he finish it?

DG: He died first.

JS: Do you think it needs to be?

DG: Not unless Jack comes back to do it.

JS: So, I take it if a currently living author were to approach you asking if they could complete “After Ten Years” or even “The Dark Tower”, you would decline the offer?

DG: Absolutely.

JS: A bit of a trend in Christian fiction is for writers to do a book “in the style” of The Screwtape Letters (meaning a correspondence between a senior devil and a more inexperienced tempter) such as Randy Alcorn’s Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. Are you familiar with that book or any others like it?

DG: I am actually a fan of Randy Alcorn’s work, but I haven’t as yet read that particular one. The Screwtape styled books I have read I have not found to be particularly encouraging.

JS: One book I have in my library is a comic book adaptation of The Screwtape Letters that was put out by Marvel Comics and Thomas Nelson back in 1994 ( they had done similar with Bunyans’ Pilgrim’s Progress and Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps). Did you serve as a consultant for it?

DG: To be honest, I actually don’t remember.

JS: Is there the possibility Narnia Fans could ever see graphic novels ( or comic books)of all seven Narnian Chronicles and the Space Trilogy? Again, it is something many fans would enjoy. Would you encourage or endorse such a project?

DG: That would depend very much on the quality and standards of the project concerned.

JS: One of my friends wants to try and get his four year old brother into reading by reading him the Narnian Chronicles, however the lack of pictures doesn’t interest his brother. I recommended The World of Narnia series by Deborah Maze ( the four volume series based on TL,TW,TW ) as a good introduction. ( He didn’t want to use the movie story books as he felt then he may as well show him the movie). Are there any other children’s books based on Narnia that you’d recommend as a means of introducing younger readers to the world of Narnia, and thus perhaps get them more interested in reading at a younger age?

DG: He could try The Giant’s Surprise by Hyawin Oram. But the Chronicles themselves would be best read as bedtime stories one chapter at a time when he is a bit older. Four is probably a little too young for them.

JS: I’ve heard that there is a film version of The Screwtape Letters in the works. Is this true?

DG: Yes. I am one of the Producers.

JS: How are they going to adapt it into a film ( if they are in fact > doing this)? The book is largely a collection of letters!

DG: We are working that out right now.

Come back next week when we discuss the Narnia Film project!

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Shadowlands…

JS: What was your opinion of the play The Shadowlands?

DG: I think it a wonderful play, but then I am biased. I have been a consultant to Shadowlands in all its varying inceptions ever since Brian Sibley and Norman Stone first wrote the concept script about 20 odd years ago. Incidentally the play is being revived and will shortly open again in London’s West End. I don’t know though whether there are any plans to move the production to America though.

JS: How did you feel about how they portrayed Jack?

DG: I have seen so many productions in which the portrayals always depended on the actor playing the role that it is hard to remember a specific portrayal. The play itself portrays not C.S.Lewis, nor Jack, but a fictional character based on him. Remember that Shadowlands is not supposed to be an Historical documentary, but is a very beautiful love story based on real events in the lives of some real people.

JS:Thank you for the clarification that The Shadowlands is not a historical documentary. In a class I took in college it was, more or less, portrayed as a historical documentary to us.

DG: It was never intended to be so, and I would have though that it is pretty obvious. After all there are only four characters based on real people in the whole movie, all the rest are entirely fictional.

JS: Have most people mistaken the play for a historical documentary?

DG: I don’t think so, I haven’t come across too many folk who have.

JS: Notably one of the major differences was the absence of your brother David. How did you feel about this change?

DG: This change was made for very straightforward theatrical and dramatic reasons and so when I fully understood the reasons I had no problem with it.

JS: Would you be able to elaborate a bit on what the theatrical and dramatic reasons for the exclusion of your brother from the play were?

DG: It is very simple really, first, if you have two children each reacting differently to the same situations, you automatically have two subplots. In the first TV version of Shadowlands this was done, and on studying it later, it was discovered that having the two subplots actually detracted from the main theme of the piece rather than complementing it, so it was decided to drop one child for the Stage play version. Also contributing to that decision was the fact that for stage work each child character has to be played by two child actors as there are legal restrictions on how many performances a child actor may make without a break. This was seen to work very well and thus for Dick Attenborough’s version the one child policy was adhered to.

JS: How about some of the other changes they made to the story? For example Lewis driving, your character asking for Jack to sign a copy of Magician’s Nephew, of Jack as a Roman Catholic.

DG: As far as I know Jack was never portrayed as a Roman Catholic, but as for the rest I didn’t care hoot.

JS: How did you feel about Anthony Hopkins’s and Debra Winger’s portrayals of Jack and Joy in the film version?

DG: Tony was faithfully presenting the role he found in the screenplay, and not trying to be C.S.Lewis or Jack, and I think that is a pity because I think Tony could have portrayed the real Jack very well indeed. Debra on the other hand was superb as my mother. However if one is going to talk about the film, one has to say that Dick Attenborough is one of the finest directors ever to walk the planet (and one of the finest English Gentlemen as well) , and his fine touch and gentle hand made what I consider to be a classic movie with which I am very proud to have been associated.

JS: How well did Joseph Mazzello do at portraying you in the film?

DG: Very well indeed, but as I told him on set one day, for him it was easy, after all he had a script to follow, I had to ad-lib the whole thing.

JS: The funny thing for me with the film of “The Shadowlands” is that I forever associated both director Richard Attenborough and Joseph Mazzello with their roles as John Hammond and Tim Murphy in Steven Speilberg’s Jurassic Park.

DG: Knowing them both personally made a big difference I suppose.

JS: Though it could be worse. I even had a friend who had a hard time watching the film as she associated Anthony Hopkins with Hannibal Lecter!

DG: I think that a lot of people had that reaction to him in Remains of the Day rather than in Shadowlands, but I know what you mean.

JS: Have you ever considered playing Jack in a production of The Shadowlands?

DG: I really don’t think I could do it justice (the role I mean), I am too emotionally involved in the whole thing.

That’s it for this weeks installment. Come back next week when we discuss Douglas’s book Jack’s Life , CS Lewis’s unfinished novels “The Dark Tower” and “After Ten Years”, the film of The Screwtape Letters and some other matters.

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On Jack…

JS:Thank you so much for your time it is a real honor to speak with you, espcailly as your step-father’s work had been so important and infleuncial to my own life.

DG: You’re welcome.

JS: First I just have to ask ( though you probably get this question a lot) what was it like growing up with CS Lewis?

DG.I do get asked that question frequently but it is in fact almost impossible to answer. You see my childhood was what it was and it was the only one I ever had so I have nothing with which to compare it. Growing up with Jack was simply the way things were. It was a time of sorrow, joy, turmoil, heartbreak, pain, delight, comfort and all the things that affect all little boys on the journeys towards manhood.

JS: How was Jack the person and step father different from CS Lewis the writer?

DG: Again that is a very difficult question to answer, because I never really knew “C.S.Lewis the writer” but knew Jack very well indeed, and my having known him has coloured my knowledge of “C.S.Lewis” ever after. It does protect me from the myriad of misunderstandings that have been presented and promoted about Jack ever since his death though.

JS: What was Jack like as a stepfather to you and your brother?

DG: Once again I have only ever had the one stepfather and thus have nothing with which to draw any comparisons. However I doubt that had I been able to search the world and choose I could have found a better one.

JS: What was he like as a husband to your mother?

DG: You would have had to have asked my mother and I have no doubt she would have told you to mind your own business.

JS: What was his relationship with Warnie like?

DG: They were brother and friends and remained so all their lives.

JS: Perhaps you could share with our readers your favorite memory of him.

DG: Jack or Warnie?

JS:Of Jack.

DG:The answer is to be found in my book Lenten Lands (HarperCollins).

JS: I do apologize for the more “impossible questions”.

DG: No problem, but try to imagine how you would answer them. What was it like growing up with your father as your father? Now you have two options, one is to write a book about it (which I have done) and the other is to give up. You can’t really describe what it was like without comparing it to something in your own experience.

JS: Would I take it that the best way for one to find out about Jack’s life be to read the biographies and autobiographies ( the good ones, of course.)?

DG: Absolutely. If I were to talk for as long as it would take for me to read you a good biography of him, why then I could tell you as much about his life as you could read in one, but I would be out of voice long before we got halfway through the story.

JS: Would there be any in your opinion that you’d strongly recommend reading ( save your own )?

DG: It depends a bit on what you are looking for. If you are after a good scholarly work about C.S.Lewis, either the Hooper/Green Biography or the George Sayer one, if on the other hand you want the life story of Jack, then I would actually recommend my own effort.

JS: Was his house anything like Professor Kirke’s in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

DG: No, not at all. Our house was small and unobtrusive.

JS: Of his seven Narnian Chronicles which one was your favorite growing up?

DG: Why was that one your favorite? Do you have a new favorite?

JS: My favorite of The Narnian Chronicles it is, has been, and always will be The Last Battle, and for one reason: it has the best “Happily Ever After”.

DG: A lot of folks feel that way. I always felt that the last Narnian book was tainted by my disappointment that it was the last. As a child and now, my favourite Narnian Chronicle was always whichever one I was reading at the time that somebody asked me, and right now, that means The Silver Chair.

JS: Can you comment on Jack’s friendship with JRR Tolkien?

DG: Can’t add very much to the things that have already been said and written, quite a lot of which is inaccurate. Jack and Tolkien were fast friends for a very long time indeed, right up until Jack’s death. They disagreed on many things and argued incessantly as good friends often did back in those wiser times.

JS: Did you ever get to meet Tolkien or any of the other Inklings? What was your impression of them?

DG: I met Tolkien several times, Austin Farrer, Humphrey Havard, Lord David Cecil, Hugo Dyson, and several others they were all charming men, of great character, and of varying depths of intellect and heights of intelligence, they all had much in common with each other of course, and one characteristic that they all seemed to share as well, was that as far as I could tell, they were all good men.

JS: Most people I talk to always ask ” when did he die” or are surprised to hear it as if they expected him to be still alive Why do you think most people aren’t aware of his death?

DG: Most people aren’t aware of most people’s deaths, but Jack’s death was particularly occluded by the death of Jack Kennedy on the same day, you will find that often when great one of God departs this Earth, the enemy will make sure that a great notable of the secular realm goes also to cover the death of the servant of God.

Be back next week for part two when we discuss the play The Shadow Lands.