William, from Sheepscombe, who plays Peter Pevensie, sent a personal message to inspire and support six Tewkesbury School pupils on a Performing For Success pilot project.

The Gloucestershire County Council-backed scheme aims to motivate and help primary and secondary children by using drama, animation, team games and other activities to build their confidence, self-esteem, teamwork, speaking and listening skills and problem-solving.

The six-week, after-school course, run once a week at Tewkesbury Library, was supported by The Roses theatre, who ran two sessions based on anti-bullying and raising self-esteem, and animators Cordial AV, who helped youngsters create a selection of animations.

Organiser Emma Taylor said: “William was very enthusiastic because he struggled academically and was inspired by drama.

“He couldn’t be at our presentation evening but left a video message of inspiration and support.

“He named all the children, making their faces light up, and left signed pictures.

Related Posts

• NarniaFans Mailbag #29: Is Prince Caspian Better than LWW? Dawn Treader Poster? and more!
• High King Peter makes an appearance on The Tonight Show.
• ‘Narnia’ Star William Moseley Reflects On Nearly Becoming Harry Potter
• Exclusive Interview with William Moseley, Peter Pevensie
• The Boys of Narnia: William Moseley and Skandar Keynes Interview

Q: I heard that Georgie Henley wrote 2 books while LWW was being made. Where can I get them? Also, where can I get Anna Popplewell’s book?

-Queen~of~Narnia

Paul: Good question. Neither book has officially been published, though Jonathan Fletcher answered about Susan in Mailbag #32. I’m not sure if they ever will be published, though. We’ll see.. if demand is high, it’s possible.

Jonathan Fletcher: Part of Anna’s Journal from LWW was published in the illustrated movie companion. It wasn’t the full thing but it was a small part.

Q: Having tried to keep up with the news about the production of the “Narnia” films, I’ve read that the plan is to make all seven books into films. I’ve also read that “Prince Caspian” is the last movie William and Anna plan to be in. However, Susan is in “The Horse and His Boy” and Peter is in “The Last Battle”. Do you know if the movie makers plan on trying to get William and Anna back for these two films, or if they will get someone else to play Peter and Susan? Thanks a lot!

-Reepicheep, Knight of Narnia

Paul: Anna and William have signed contracts only for the films they were in, so far. I believe that’s what they are talking about, as they don’t want to assume that, no matter when the films are shot, they get the parts. At this point, the filming of those movies is a major unknown. In a perfect world, they’d all be a sure thing. But so far, each sequel has hinged on how well the last had done. However, it seems that this series has a lot of studio support, as, if done well, they could all be big movies themselves.

Now, in an effort to lengthen this mailbag some, because we only got a couple of letters this week, I’m going to go back and answer another archival e-mail that I received.  This one is especially timely, as you’ll see:

Q: Hi,
I really enjoy your site! I have a couple of questions on the production of “Prince Caspian”:
1. If post-production ends at the end of this year, when can we expect the first trailer?
2. When will they release actual promotional photos of the cast?
3. Are they going to have Ben Barnes alias Caspian in a lot of action scenes, and is he doing his own stunts?
4. Why are they releasing “Prince Caspian” not earlier next year?
Thank you!

-Isabell

Paul: Thanks, Isabell… I’m more than happy to answer these questions, now, a year after the release of Prince Caspian.
1.  The first trailer hit in December 2007!
2. Promotional Photos hit around the same time as the first trailer.
3. Yes and No.    Caspian appeared in a lot of action sequences, as we know… but there were some stunt double sequences in the film.
4. This question is the reason I kept this letter.  The reason that they wouldn’t have released the film earlier, is because they only finished the final shots in the film about 3 weeks prior to release.  Special effects and editing take a long time, and they don’t want to rush it out the door.  It would have been sloppy and slapped together.

Alright, that’s it for this week.  Sorry it’s so short this time… I’m short on time as it is.  Hopefully I’ll be back next Thursday with a mailbag to make up for this one. 

Related Posts

• The Pevensies talk LWW DVD, Prince Caspian
• Prince Caspian Script Nearly Ready
• NarniaFans Mailbag #32: More Dawn Treader Art, and old letters surface
• The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray: Dec. 2
• Life Story’s Movie Magic: Return to Narnia

Do you know what Anna Popplewell and William Moseley are up to these days? Are they working on any new films?

-jediash1

Paul: Both are in school right now.  Anna Popplewell just ran a charity race, and has been attending Oxford, where she has not only acted in some plays, but she’s also directed!  She’s not currently attached to any film projects.

William has auditioned for other roles and is rumored to be joining the film Ironclad where he would act along side Megan Fox, Robert Carlyle, Paul Giamatti, James Purefoy, Richard Attenborough, Bob Hoskins, Pete Postlethwaite and Angus Macfadyen among others.  The film is set in the year 1215, the rebels of England forced the tyrannical King John to put his royal seal on the Magna Carta, but months later he broke the seal and assembled an army to take over the country again. In his way was the Rochester castle, a place that would become the symbol of the rebel’s struggle for justice and freedom.

THIS QUESTION CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE LAST BATTLE

If Fox gets a big hit with Voyage of the Dawn Treader and they continue to make the rest of the books, will they include Susan in The Last Battle even though C. S. Lewis does not? Will they keep her in for the sake of the audience?

-C.S. Layman

Paul: This is a question that is much like one that I was asked last week, to which my answer is practically the same.  If they were to include Susan, which I would do were I to direct the film (hint hint!), it should only be on Earth, so that the audience has a good feel for why she’s not coming back.  This is something that is taken care of only in a few lines of the book, but in movie form would require a little more to it.

THIS QUESTION CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW

I would like to point out something about the question posed by Manasi Lad. In The Magician’s Nephew, Uncle Andrew accidentally drops some coins into the young Narnian soil which grow into two trees, one silver and one gold. Later on in the book, Aslan commands that these trees be chopped down and made into crowns for the first King and Queen of Narnia, Frank and Helen. That is why they are not in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They had been chopped down hundreds of years ago.

-Maggie

Paul: Thank you, Maggie!  This is something that I had forgotten, and I appreciate the help!

Is Ben Barnes returning as Prince Caspian in VDT since Prince Caspian is supposed to be older in the third movie?

-Walter Dodd

Paul: There are two answers to your question.  The first answer is no, he will not be returning as Prince Caspian.  However, he will be returning to the role of Caspian.  This time as King.  This is one reason why the cast an older actor.  There wasn’t the need to establish a new actor in the role who is supposed to be only 3 years older.

Hi all, it’s been so long since I last sent in a query about 3 years ago, its been great to watch this site flourish. I’m so glad you brought the mailbag back. First of all i just wanted to say for anyone who didn’t know. On the Prince Caspian DVD with special features, on the menu there is a golden lion in the top left corner. Its easier watching on a computer but you can click on it to see some short film footage. When using the DVD remote you scroll down to the last topic and click left and it should highlight the lion. On the first menu it has a short movie made by Skandar showing ‘Blonde cam’, on the second menu its the Pevensie’s fighting over who actually saved Trumpkin, and the third is just a cameo of a stage worker. I just wanted to say this in case someone hadn’t noticed yet.

My real question is, on the DVD features (the first one I think) Andrew Adamson says that he lived in Papua New Guinea for his childhood years which helped inspire the new film’s message. I am currently in Papua New Guinea (16 years old)myself, at the International school and I was wondering about his history here? What school he went to? where he stayed? Hope its not to hard but i think it would be interesting to learn. Thanks, and don’t give up on the mailbag! it rocks.

-Jason Fotheringham

Paul: Thanks for writing in again, Jason!  I remember your letters and am happy to have the mailbag back as well!  As for Adamson, I recently learned of this myself, and had not known about it before either.  I wish that I could answer this for you, but the simple fact is: I don’t know how to do that.  Perhaps someone that knows can write in?

What is the current status report on production for Dawn Treader? I know we are in pre-production, but what are they actually doing right now? Also, when does filming begin?

-Jonathan Fletcher

Paul: Take a look at the news about the Gold Coast.  It’s nearly completely secured, which means that set building will start happening shortly.  They’ve been actively seeking out filming locations for some time now.  They’re also in the middle of the screenplay re-write.  Filming begins in late July.

Where did C.S. Lewis get his inspiration for all of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’? Also, I thought I heard that C.S. Lewis encouraged J.R.R. Tolkien in continuing to write ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Do you know anything about this? Thanks a lot!

-Tarwe, the Narnian Elf

Paul: I wish I could tell you where Lewis got inspiration for all of the Narnia series, but I will tell you this.  It started with a picture that was in his head of a lamp-post in the woods and a fawn next to it carrying parsels, and an umbrella.

He couldn’t get the image out of his head, and began writing.  There are many many books that delve into Lewis’ inspiration for the series, and it’s far too many books to list here.  If anyone has suggestions, feel free to comment the titles along with the author as well as a short synopsis, if possible, of what the book is about.

As far as The Lord of the Rings, yes: Lewis did encourage Tolkien to write the sequel to The Hobbit.  They were contemporaries and friends, both teaching at Oxford and both part of a group called The Inklings.  You can read about that group and the impact that each had on the other’s writings in a book called “The Company They Keep” by Diana Pavlac Glyer.  It’s got the most complete listing of all of The Inklings that you’ll ever find in one place.  This book is the culmination of 50 combined years of research and hard work.  It is well worth your time.

I heard the writer, Diana Glyer, speak last year at LionCon, and boy did she ever have great insight into both Lewis and Tolkien.  She even spoke about how Tolkien’s famous quote about his dislike of Narnia is blown way out of proportion, and it was based on only having read a few chapters of the first book in the series: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Tolkien was asked, as The Hobbit was a big hit, if he had a sequel to the story that could be released.  He didn’t have one at the time, but people were encouraging him to continue the story.  So Tolkien sat down to write it.  At first it was a light and easy story, very similar in style to The Hobbit.  But then the Wraith appeared in Hobbiton.  And the rest is history.

Is there any Lewis / Tolkien Scholar that would like to either comment more on this, or even contribute an essay about this for the site?  Feel free to e-mail us!

And with that, it’s late, and I apologize for not getting to more of the old e-mails this week.  I’ll keep trying. We’ll get there!

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• C.S. Lewis Society Update, 5/24/07
• NYC Prince Caspian Event at Union Square Barnes & Noble
• Down the pub with Tolkien and C. S. Lewis
• C.S. Lewis Society Update, 6/23/07
• Texas State Professor finds Lost Lewis Manuscript

Let’s get started!

Q: There’s a poster for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on imdb.com. Is this legitamite, or a fake? Also, great site! Can’t wait to see how it does in the future!

-Skulblaka_Shur’tugal

A: I trust you mean this one:

This is definitely a fan made creation.  There are a number of things that give it away.  First is that the pictures of Lucy and Edmund are taken directly from Prince Caspian.  Another thing that makes it seem a little more authentic, but is a dead giveaway is the fact that the Caspian seen in this poster is not Ben Barnes.  It’s the character actor from Walt Disney World’s Journey into Narnia!  Another thing is that they have not even started shooting yet.  Sure there are sometimes early posters released, and sometimes they are released this early, but we don’t yet know what the Dawn Treader even looks like for the film.  The three floating heads are also transparent, something that they don’t tend to do in actual movie posters.

Q: I saw the Prince Caspian movie and then read the book.  Where is the part where they kiss in the book?

-Joshua

A: The simplest answer was given in the comments where you asked the question.  The filmmakers put that into the film.  It wasn’t a decision that they came to lightly though.  It was a highly debated issue among them as they wrote the screenplay.  The character of Susan goes through some pretty big changes in the story.. at least they are big changes when you’re not paying attention to how she speaks throughout the series.  In the books, the things she says foreshadow the path that her character takes.  I won’t tell you, though, as you may not have finished the series yet.  In the context of the books, though, the kiss does make sense and serves to explain her character earlier on.  If all seven films are produced, it’ll make more sense in the long run.

One reason, though, that the writers gave, was that putting that girl into a movie with that guy, having nothing between the two would have been unrealistic.  As far as filmmaking is concerned, they are correct, and girls everywhere would have been asking why nothing happened.  It’s one of those decisions that doesn’t really effect the outcome of the movie, or the character of Susan.

Q: Am I the only one that actually thinks the second movie is better than the first?

-CaspianGirl

Paul: Actually, you’re not the only one.  There are many people that believe it to be better than the first.  For one thing, all of the returning cast members are much more comfortable in their roles.  They exude a confidence on the screen that they didn’t completely have in the first. For another, between films some of the children went through extensive acting classes to get better at their craft.

William Moseley’s new skills are on display throughout, but in particular the scene at the end of the castle-raid.  His face says everything that it needs to, and no words are required to say what he is feeling at that point.

Skandar Keynes also comes into his own, and displays his acting chops, and shows that he’ll be a terrific actor to watch in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The cast was all very comfortable with each other, and they really dove into the roles, allowing us to get pulled back into Narnia all the easier.

That’s not to mention they took an inferior story in the Narnia series and made it into an excellent and highly entertaining movie.  Frankly, this was the one Narnia story that I was worried wouldn’t translate into a very good film, but in breaking loose from the story in the order that it happened in the book, they were able to flesh out different characters and make Caspian more than what it was in the written word.  I believe that they captured aspects of the characters that can be found on the page, if you look at it from a different perspective than you usually would.

Lily_of_Archenland: I’d find it a difficult decision, personally. While PC left a lot more plot aberrations in a nitpickers guide sort of way, and had a couple of places which really upset me, PC also seemed more solid on really giving one a good idea of Aslan’s power rather than equivocating the victory as belonging mostly to the Pevensies. So, odd as it may seem, I’d say Prince Caspian is better and worse than #1, only in different ways.

And that’s it for this week’s mailbag.  Be sure to send us some e-mails, and I’ll be sure to try and include them in next week’s mailbag.  I’m also hoping to get the other NarniaFans.com writers to chime in, if the letters come in early enough.  If that is the case, then the answers will not be preceded by the letter “A” but by the name of the writer providing the answer.  This week, I included a comment that was left in the comments on the other entry for the answer above.

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• New Pictures of the Pevensie Children!
• NarniaFans Mailbag #33: Updates on Anna Popplewell, William Moseley, Andrew Adamson’s past, and C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Boys of Narnia: William Moseley and Skandar Keynes Interview
• NarniaFans Mailbag #37: Academy Awards, Publicity and Casting
• NarniaFans Mailbag #35: Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter vs. Narnia

Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor

Nate Hartley – “Drillbit Taylor”
Freddie Highmore – “The Spiderwick Chronicles”
Josh Hutcherson – “Journey to the Center of the Earth”
Skandar Keynes – “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”

Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actress

Abigail Breslin – “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”
Madeline Carroll – “Swing Vote”
Dakota Fanning – “The Secret Life of Bees”
Georgie Henley – “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
Keke Palmer – “The Longshots”

Best Performance in a Feature Film: Young Ensemble Cast

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” – Walt Disney Pictures
Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell

“Drillbit Taylor” – Paramount Pictures
David Dorfman, Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley

“Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” – New Line Cinema
Abigail Breslin, Madison Davenport, Austin MacDonald, Zach Mills, Willow Smith, Max Thieriot

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Vote for your Favorite Pevensie at the Talented Young People Awards
• New Prince Caspian Promotional Images
• The Pevensies talk LWW DVD, Prince Caspian
• Prince Caspian Script Nearly Ready
• The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray: Dec. 2

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features even more groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the Pevensie siblings, along with Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (1993 nominee for Best Actor, Schindler’s List) as Aslan the Lion and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (2008 winner for Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton) as the White Witch. They are joined by Ben Barnes (Stardust) as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto (Arthur and the Invisibles), Eddie Izzard (FX: The Riches), Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter films) and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) appearing as new residents of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is fantasy adventure that will delight the entire family.

Lewis’ seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series is regarded as one of literature’s most enduring classics, selling over 100,000,000 copies in more than 35 languages, making it the second biggest book series the world over.

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children face a perilous mission and a greater test of their faith and courage. They find a world in which 1,300 years have passed. The White Witch is gone, the realm is ruled by a cruel tyrant and Aslan has been missing for over a thousand years.

The four children embark on a remarkable journey to restore magic and glory to the land. Accompanied by Trumpkin, a valiant dwarf, Reepicheep the talking mouse and a suspicious Black Dwarf named Nikabrik, they raise an army of Narnians to rise up against the evil king Miraz.

BONUS FEATURES:

DVD

• Special audio commentary by director and actors

Collector’s Edition DVD

All of the above, plus:

• Special audio commentary by director and actors, a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film’s locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, deleted scenes and much, much more!

Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusives

All of the above, plus:

• Enhanced Disney’s BD-Live Network exclusives, interactive Narnia game, downloadable features and much, much more!

• Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle Raid – Walt Disney’s famous Imagineers introduced the world to Circle-Vision in the 50’s and 60’s, which immersed Disneyland visitors in 360-degree film tours of America, and later, China and Canada. Now, through HDRI camera technology and the rapidly-evolving interactive capabilities of Blu-ray, the Disney team has taken the first step towards advancing this unique and memorable experience. Only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc can fans take a 360-degree look behind the scenes of the castle raid sequence and get unique access to the secrets of how this latest adventure to Narnia was pulled off. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID. First, start off in the CIRCLE-VISION preview lobby, and choose to get a private tour of the castle raid from Director Andrew Adamson, Producer Mark Johnson, or a number of other key filmmakers and artists who brought the latest adventure to NARNIA to life. Then, select one of the exclusive CIRCLE-VISION experiences to be virtually transported to the set in the Czech Republic. The moment you enter these panoramic worlds, you will be able to turn in any direction, and fully-explore how this compelling sequence was painstakingly created. Discover a myriad of progression reels, developmental animatics, 13 audio commentaries, pop-up facts, slide shows, and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes footage with cast and crew that is revealing, interesting, compelling, funny and exclusively accessed through this new-reimagining of a classic idea. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID, only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc.

The DVD of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has a suggested retail price of $29.99 (U.S.) and $35.99 (Canada). The Two Disc Collector’s Edition is $39.99 (U.S.) and $46.99 (Canada). The Blu-ray disc is priced at $35.99 (U.S.) and $45.99 (Canada).

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Life Story’s Movie Magic: Return to Narnia
• New Prince Caspian Promotional Images
• The Pevensies talk LWW DVD, Prince Caspian
• NarniaFans Mailbag #34: Anna Popplewell and Georgie Henley’s books, William Moseley and Prince Caspian
• Prince Caspian Nominated for three Young Artist Awards

An “Introduction” by the editors of the Movie Magic.

“C.S. Lewis and the World of Narnia”: This is a brief biography of C.S. Lewis that focuses mostly on how his life influenced the creation of the Narnia series.

“Secrets of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’”: This part is a “making of” article for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” It features quotes from director Andrew Adamson, notes about how the cast was selected (quotes Tilda Swinton and James McAvoy), and a discussion on the challenges of bringing Narnia to the screen with special effects and WETA.

“William Moseley Returns to Narnia”: An in-depth, four-page interview with William Moseley (Peter Pevensie) about coming back to Narnia and about Peter’s character in “Prince Caspian”.

“Anna Popplewell’s Call to Action”: A three-page interview with Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie), which discusses Susan’s maturation in “Prince Caspian”, Anna’s feelings about returning to the set of Narnia, and how Anna feels about leaving Narnia behind after “Prince Caspian.”

“Georgie Henley’s Encore as Lucy Pevensie”: A two-page interview with Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie). Georgie discusses returning for “Prince Caspian”, her role in “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, and “Dawn Treader” director Michael Apted.

“Skandar Keynes–Warrior in Training”: A two-page interview with Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie). Skandar shares his thoughts about being on the set of “Prince Caspian”, his role in the fight scenes, and director Michael Apted.

“Ben Barnes Is Prince Caspian”: A four-page interview with Ben Barnes, who talks about Caspian’s character (including the rivalry between Caspian and Peter), joining the Narnia cast, his role in “The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’”, and working with CGI characters.

“The ‘Prince Caspian’ News Diary”: A timeline of the production of “Prince Caspian” from December 2005 to February 2007. This article is basically a list/summary of press releases about “Prince Caspian” and other future Narnia movies.

“Directing Prince Caspian”: Director Andrew Adamson discusses what he learned from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, working with child actors and CGI, and the challenges of making “Prince Caspian” into a movie.

“Meet the Narnia Costume Designer”: An article about Isis Mussenden (costume designer for the Narnia movies) and her work on the costumes of “Prince Caspian” and the upcoming “Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’”.

“Who’s Who in the Magical World of Narnia”: Brief biographies of the major characters in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian”, including Jadis the White Witch, Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, the Beavers and Badgers, Professor Digory Kirke, Reepicheep, and Oreius.

The rest of the magazine is about other summer movies, such as “The Dark Knight”, “Iron Man”, and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”.

This issue of Movie Magic is available until August 4th, 2008 at most bookstores and is priced at $9.95.

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray: Dec. 2
• New Prince Caspian Promotional Images
• NarniaFans Mailbag #34: Anna Popplewell and Georgie Henley’s books, William Moseley and Prince Caspian
• Prince Caspian Nominated for three Young Artist Awards
• Vote for your Favorite Pevensie at the Talented Young People Awards

Talented Young Person of the Month Award – July Nominees

To celebrate the release of Prince Caspian the latest film in the Chronicles of Narnia series we only have four nominees for the July award and those four nominees are the awesome four young actors who play four of the lead roles.

Georgie Henley – Lucy Pevensie

Georgie Henley is a precocious twelve year old who the fans of the new Narnia Film series have taken to their hearts. In Prince Caspian she has a lot of on screen time and gives a brilliant performance which plays a big part in why the film has been so greatly received. The Chronicles of Narnia is Georgie’s first work in film but I’m sure when the series ends she will have people beating down her door to work with her.

Skandar Keynes – Edmund Pevensie

Skandar Keynes was born in to a very successful family with many different members of his family tree excelling in various fields including writing and radio. It could have all been so different for Skandar as at the same time he auditioned for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe he was auditioning for a role in Nanny McPhee and if he had been successful in that and not in his Narnia audition then his career may have gone down a different path.

William Moseley – Peter Pevensie

William is the oldest out of all four young people playing the roles of the Pevensie siblings at the age of 21. Again The Chronicles of Narnia is his first film work although he did have a few small parts in some TV programmes. William has wanted to act since the age of ten and even went to audition for the role of Harry Potter when it was originally cast.

Anna Popplewell – Susan Pevensie

Out of all four Anna has the most acting experience with her first major credit coming in the film Mansfield Park in 1999. Since then she has gone on to a star in a variety or projects until she landed the role of Susan for The Chronicles of Narnia. Not only is Anna a talented actress but she is talented in the classroom to as she currently studies at Oxford University. Anna has won awards for her portrayal of Susan and was even nominated for a Teen Choice Award.

To find out more about this month’s awards and to cast your vote go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/awards/index.php

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Prince Caspian Nominated for three Young Artist Awards
• New Prince Caspian Promotional Images
• The Pevensies talk LWW DVD, Prince Caspian
• Prince Caspian Script Nearly Ready
• The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray: Dec. 2

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• High King Peter makes an appearance on The Tonight Show.
• NFCYM Talks to Douglas Gresham
• William Moseley Interviewed; Finds Narnia in Greenwich Village
• Exclusive Interview with William Moseley, Peter Pevensie
• Interview with Narnia Storyboard Artist Tom Nelson

Georgie Henley: Good Morning, everybody!

Paul Martin: Hi!

Georgie Henley: Hi!

Paul Martin: How are you?

Georgie Henley: I’m good, how are you?

Paul Martin: Not bad, I very much enjoyed the movie!

Georgie Henley: Thank you!

Paul Martin (to William): I was two rows ahead of you.

William Moseley: Oh, you were, that’s right.

Reporter: How was it for both of you coming back to Narnia?

William Moseley: You know, coming back to Narnia, it was a completely different experience. The first one I really auditioned, auditioned, auditioned and finally we got out to New Zealand and worked. For this one, Andrew said to me at the beginning, your character’s going to be very very different, you know, he’s not going to be the nice, selfless character he was in the first film. So I thought, well I’d love to, you know, work on that and so here in New York I worked with Sheila Gray, an acting coach out here, and I really got in touch with a lot of the darker, deeper stuff in my character and also in myself. So when I go on I could really perform and give everything I had to this role and also the film’s a lot more physical, obviously, so I worked with a boxing trainer here in New York at Gleason’s Gym which is this kind of underground gym in Brooklyn and I worked as hard as I could there. And I was really really pleased with the outcome of the film.

Georgie Henley: I think the first time you step onto a movie set, it’s a great feeling and that happened to me on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When you step onto a movie set after a long time, I think that’s a completely different feeling. I had a tummy full of nerves, and I was really really nervous and then I stepped on the set and then this big feeling of relief came through me and I just looked around and everybody, and loads of people who I knew from the first film were there and it felt so much more familiar than I thought it would. And I just totally got into it again and it was great, wasn’t it? It was great. (William Moseley: It was good.) It was good.

Reporter: Last night, you guys were sitting right in front of me as you watched the movie. When you have a movie like this where a lot of it is effects, how is it watching it for the first time and seeing it on the big screen? Can you enjoy it or are you too critical of yourself?

William Moseley: You know, Andrew’s an excellent director and I think we’ll all agree, he brings you into Narnia, you know, with the music, with the editing, with the shots and the composition and he really creates a wonderful world and just being able to watch that and see that and see my hard work that’s paid off; it was a great relief but it was also a really humbling moment for me and I really felt very privileged to be a part of such a spectacle.

Georgie Henley: Well, at the beginning of the film, I’m ashamed to say, I couldn’t take it, it was too much for me and I was having a bit of a sob. But then my mom just said to me: ‘Just sit back, relax, it’s all right, the film’s gonna be fine, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the film.’ And I thought I’d be really critical of myself, and I wasn’t because I just sat back and I relaxed and I tried to watch the film and I watched everybody. I wasn’t just watching myself, thinking: ‘why did I do that, why didn’t I do this.’ I was looking at everything and every little detail and stuff and trying to soak it all in so I could make myself feel better. (laughter)

Reporter: Did you want each one of your characters to convey a certain message?

William Moseley: That’s a good question, actually, um. What message would I want my character to convey? Well, I think as we’ve seen in history, there’s a lot of leaders who’ve fallen through their own ego. You know, I think most empires actually have fallen through their own ego. You’ve got the Roman Empire, you have the British Empire and I’m not going to talk about the American Empire. (laughter) But, um.. it happens, and I think the most important thing that Peter has to learn is humility as a leader, that he has to serve other people and not serve himself, and do what’s best for everybody else. I think it’s stuck in his mind that he’s this great, wonderful hero from thirteen-hundred years ago. Well he’s gotta prove himself again. He’s gotta have this humility that everybody’s heard so much about, again. So, I think it’s, I’d like to convey the message of humility from a leader.

Georgie Henley: I think my message is just as complicated as that, although this is gonna sound rather corny. My message, I think is, keep your belief in what your belief is and don’t let anybody knock you down, because when Lucy first sees Aslan, she knows he’s there, she can feel it in her bones, and because her siblings don’t believe her, she backs down. She follows them, they go the wrong way. (laughter) And everything starts to fall down even more, even though they meet Caspian. And then she sees Aslan, she actually sees him, and meets him again, and he’s very angry with her. He doesn’t understand why she didn’t go to him, because she believed it, why didn’t she just leave the others? Why couldn’t her belief be stronger than their knock-down comments, if you know what I mean. And that is a definite lesson, it’s a lesson that she learns and it’s a message that she conveys to a lot of people, and I think a lot of people go through that in their lifetime, definitely.

Reporter: What did you guys do off set? I mean did you guys hang out as a cast together?

William Moseley: Yeah.

Georgie Henley: Yeah, I mean, if you’re in New Zealand, basically, there’s so much adventure stuff to do and, (to William) go on, you know what to say (laughs).

William Moseley: We were in New Zealand, and I heard about this incredible bungie jump you could do and this was literally two weeks into filming, and I said to Skandar, ‘I’m going to go and do this bungie jump.’ And it’s like a hundred and twenty meters, like two-hundred and fifty feet, an eight second free-fall, basically: it’s huge. And Skandar’s afraid of heights, and he said ‘I want to do it,’ and I was like ‘are you sure?’ and he’s like ‘I don’t have any money,’ (Georgie Henley: ‘I’ll conquer my fear!’) and I was like ‘I’ll pay for you.’ and his mom wasn’t there at the time and then he told her later that evening (Georgie Henley: My mom was there! (laughs)) and Skandar’s mom said ‘I cannot believe you did that! Why would you book it for so early in the morning?’ (laughter) You know, she didn’t really care that he was gonna bungie jump, all she cared about was that he’d booked it for so early in the morning and she couldn’t have breakfast with him the next day. But anyway, we went off and we had very different experiences. Skandar was positively green before he jumped out and when he came back up, I’ve never seen him so happy. His face was lit up. And for me it was a very spiritual experience. (laughter)

Georgie Henley: Well, we watched the videos when they went down, and Skandar was just sitting there and then he went down and he did a really good dive and he came up and he was all happy and elated. Will was sitting there, running his hand through his hair, and like breathing, and then he did the most perfect swan dive off the side, and then he came up and he was like breathing and it was like a titanic moment or something, it was hilarious!

William Moseley: It’s good having on set siblings that are just the same as your real siblings.

Georgie Henley: It was so funny.

Reporter: Did you guys find that you kinda went through something similar from your characters where you go and make these movies and then you go back to real life and then you go back to movies again and then back to real life again?

William Moseley: You know, that’s true, and you know, we just like I say, four normal kids. We’re here doing a huge junket today and from here on out, but really we’re just four normal people who’ve had these amazing opportunities, this through the wardrobe experience and then we go back to reality, then we come back again. But the important thing, I think, is to have some humor with it. Not to take it all too seriously, to enjoy it. Because I think the most important thing about drama, for any kid that’s listening to this or reading this, is to enjoy it. And I think that’s what we did, and I think that’s what really kept the on-set buzz.

Reporter: What’s it like shooting the battle scenes, because you don’t have much dialog but you’ve gotta portray something going on and they seem pretty intense and tell me those swords are as heavy as they look?

William Moseley: I love it, you know, I absolutely love it. And the sword’s actually aluminium, so it’s very very light. Aluminum. (Georgie Henley: Ha!) It’s very light and you know, for me it’s the most empowering and it’s a really good way to express myself because you can put all this tension and anxiety into this fighting sequence and you can really use it. It’s exciting to go on and learn this stuff from these stunt trainers, and then to have guys dying around you at every moment. It’s just really really fun, like I was saying before, it’s just I really enjoy it.

Reporter: How interesting was it to kind of share the hero thunder a little bit with Caspian in this one?

William Moseley: Yeah, I mean, Caspian, well Ben Barnes, it was the first time I had met Barnes and I was kind of anxious about meeting him and I remember the first time I saw him and he was playing with Georgie. And I was like ‘that’s kind of weird.’ Cause, you know, I’m always playing with Georgie. (laughter) So I actually met Ben and he was actually really cool. He was a really cool, down to earth guy and I was like ‘oh, this is good, this is someone who I can trust.’ He was someone who was like my own age, who I’d go out with at the weekend, we’d go for a drink and a chat about the previous week. And also Caspian and Peter have this rivalry, so you have to have a trust with the other actor, you know, you have to be able to really let go with them, and they have to be able to let go with you, to have this chemistry. So it was great that they chose Ben Barnes cause I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.

Reporter: Georgie, what was it like working with Ben?

Georgie Henley: Well, it was a bit of a rocky start because we were playing table tennis at the base camp and Ben came down the stairs and Jeff O., who was our Second A.D., introduced him as Ben and everybody gave him a hug and stuff. And I was like, why are they hugging him, I don’t even know who he is? What’s his job or anything? So he went in, and then my mom came over and said ’so what do you think of Caspian?’ I was like ‘What?’ And she goes ‘That was Caspian.’ I was like ‘That’s Caspian!’ So I ran after him and I was like ‘Sorry, I didn’t know you were Caspian!’ And he was like, ‘Oh, right.’ And then, after that it kind of turned into like a really good relationship. And then we really welcomed him into the Pevensie family, I think. But he wasn’t a Pevensie, which is quite nice, I think, for him as well. I mean, we were the Pevensies, and he was in our family.

William Moseley: Like our adopted child.

(laughter)

Georgie Henley: But I do think he was like another big brother. I’ve got so many now! But he’s just lovely and he’s just as lovely as everybody else who works on them and he’s so easy to get along with, and that’s what you need. I mean, everybody, I mean Anna and Skandar and of course His Highness over here, they’re so easy to get on with. (laughter)

William Moseley: Royal Highness. (laughter)

Georgie Henley: The Magnificent! (laughter) You know, so easy to get on with, and I think that’s a great quality to have if you’re a Pevensie.

Reporter: How do you guys stay so grounded, because this movie’s huge, you guys are stars now, so how do you…

William Moseley: How do we stay so grounded? Well, I think what’s great about this is there isn’t really one person that’s, I mean even though the film is called Prince Caspian and it is The Chronicles of Narnia, it’s everything in one, so if one person’s taking it a little bit too far, you know, any of us could do at any time, the rest would just ‘whoom’ bring them back down to earth. And also, you know, we come from pretty grounded families. Our families are so supportive, so grounded. We all have siblings. We all have other kids. And it was never about ego for us, it was just always about enjoying it, being there for each other, just having a good time and doing hard work, doing good work, so I think as long as you keep that in perspective, I don’t think there should be any problem.

Reporter: Are you twenty-one now?

William Moseley: I just turned twenty-one last Sunday, yeah.

Georgie Henley: Yay!

Reporter: What about the ‘girlfriends’ side of it? Are you dating someone special now?

William Moseley: I’m not really allowed to talk about that. But, um, you know, yeah, it’s, uh… I do have someone in my life that I do feel very special about, so you know, um, don’t really want to say more than that. (laughs)

Reporter: Georgie!

Georgie Henley: Do I have a boyfriend, no. I’m very happy being single, thank you very much. (laughs)

(laughter)

Paul Martin: Georgie, were you happy to finally be able to draw your dagger in battle?

Georgie Henley: I was so happy. I spent all of the first film having this dagger and not really getting to use it. And then it’s just like ‘wha!’ (laughter) But I think one of my best moments in the film is when everybody’s at the side of the bridge and all the Telmarines and stuff, and I’m on the other side, and I draw my dagger with confidence. And then this army comes charging at me. And I remember filming that, and then Damian Alcazar who plays Lord Sopespian doing ‘Charge!’ And I was on my own, cause Aslan, of course, wasn’t standing next to me. We can’t import lions. (laughter) And I was having these horses doing at me.

William Moseley: Galloping.

Georgie Henley: Sorry, doing at me? Galloping at me. And I was absolutely petrified and Andrew kept shouting ‘Don’t show it in your face, don’t show it in your face!’ And I was so scared!

William Moseley: Act, darling, act!

Georgie Henley: Within! It’s called acting! (laughter)

Reporter: Georgie, how do you juggle your school with your acting?

Georgie Henley: Well, it’s the law to do school. You’re meant to do about three hours a day and normally if you had about a half an hour break, we’d go and do some school. One-to-one teaching, which is amazing. Normally, when I go back home to school, I’d be ahead of everybody else because of the one-to-one and stuff. And the good thing is that you don’t get homework because you do all the homework in the latin times, you still do everything. And even coming here on publicity, I’m doing some schoolwork this afternoon and working through, because, you know, you can’t just come here and throw everything else away. You’ve got to have some boundaries. And I’m twelve years old, I’ve got to do my education, and I’m happy about that. I love school, actually. I must say, I’m a bit of a nerd. I love school very much.

Reporter: What’s your favorite subject?

Georgie Henley: Surprisingly, I’m into the arts. I like english, I like languages as well. I like Latin and French and next year I’m taking on Russian.

William Moseley: Are you?

Georgie Henley: Yes!

William Moseley: (something in Russian)

Georgie Henley: (responds in Russian)

(laughter)

Reporter: William, I mean, your character is not in the next one, have you kinda talked to the writers about any way of kind of fudging you in?

(laughter)

William Moseley: You know, that’s an interesting question. Well, for me, as you know, characters leave Narnia. Peter and Susan leave Narnia. They’ve grown out of this world, they’ve learned what they can. And for William also is was always a very parallel experience, actually, and so, for me, I actually feel like I’ve learned what I can from Narnia as well, and I’m ready to move on and do something different, do something interesting and just improve. As an actor you always want to be challenging yourself, you always want to be doing something different, something that’s a little bit beyond you so you have to work that extra bit harder. So I’m ready for whatever comes my way next.

Reporter: Do you have anything right now, that you’re going for?

William Moseley: You know, there is a few things in the pipeline, but I don’t want to curse it, so I’m not gonna talk about it.

Reporter: Georgie, what do you like to splurge on?

Georgie Henley: Well.

William Moseley: Gucci bags and Chanel. (laughter)

Georgie Henley: oh, shhhhh…. No no no..

William Moseley: No, Georgie’s nothing like that.

Georgie Henley: Well, a lot of the time I’m a bit skinned because I love buying music off iTunes, I’m really into my music, so I normally spend most of my allowance on songs and albums and things, which is a bit silly, because you listen to them and then you get a bit bored of them. But I do basically spend all my money on them. I guess it’s okay, I don’t mind and I love pretty things as well. So if I save up, I’ll always get a little pretty ring or something and that’s always nice.

Reporter: What are your favorite bands?

Georgie Henley: My favorite band. I love the Kings of Leon, definitely. The Strokes, Muse, at the moment, I am really… oh, who am I into at the moment? Aw, I’ve forgotten. I’ve actually forgotten! (laughter)

William Moseley: Not The Arcade Fire.

Georgie Henley: No, not The Arcade Fire, but well done for introducing me to them. They’re very good.

William Moseley: Love The Arcade Fire.

Georgie Henley: But, yeah, definitely Kings of Leon. They’ve just got this amazing.. his voice is just amazing. It’s very, it’s husky and it’s sexy (laughter) and it makes you, you know, you’re intrigued by it and their songs are amazing. And I can play some of them on guitar which makes me feel very happy.

Reporters: Thank you!

Will and Georgie: Thank you!

The Cinema Source also has this interview with Georgie and also with William split into two.

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• NYC Prince Caspian: Day 2 – Interview with Ben Barnes
• NYC Prince Caspian: Day 2 – Interview with Producer Mark Johnson
• NYC Prince Caspian: Day 2 – Interview with Anna Popplewell and Peter Dinklage
• NYC Prince Caspian: Day 2 – Interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
• NYC Prince Caspian Event at Union Square Barnes & Noble