The graduate of London’s Kingston University can’t believe he’s playing the main character from one of his favorite childhood tales.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” he says. “It’s been a whirlwind.”
One minute, Barnes was doing an audition tape in London. The next, he was in L.A., charming director Andrew Adamson. A couple of weeks later, he stood on Narnia’s set in New Zealand.
Anna Popplewell, who co-stars as Susan, says Barnes might need to invest in bodyguards soon.
“He’s very gorgeous,” says the actress, 19.
Another factor worked in his favor: He’s a good fibber.
“I didn’t lie,” Barnes insists. “I just exaggerated the truth. They said, ‘Can you ride a horse?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ I did not say I understood the intricacies of genuine horsemanship.”
His Narnia adventures continue aboard a ship in 2010’s The [Voyage of The] Dawn Treader.
He knows naught about nautical matters. “If they ask, I’ll answer with a big, fat no. I have the job.”