We’re getting to the home stretch of the interview series from Day 2. This one features Anna Popplewell, who played the role of Susan Pevensie in both Narnia films, and Peter Dinklage, who played the role of Trumpkin. There are some spoilers in this interview, so if you’re still avoiding those, then tread carefully. Otherwise, have fun. It was another great interview. At the end, learn who is next in the interview series.
All of us: Hi!
Anna Popplewell: Hi!
Peter Dinklage: Hi!
Reporter: So what’d you guys think of the film, last night?
Peter Dinklage: Umm..
(laughter)
Reporter: It was your first time seeing it, right?
Peter Dinklage: Yeah, it was great. I just.. I have no perspective on it, my wheels are still turning, and I have to see it again to sort of watch it with a clearer head.
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, I feel a bit speechless about it. I was very excited and nervous to see it, and I need to see it again so that I can watch it without thinking ‘oh but this day we were here and then we were over there’ and watch it as a movie rather than making so many connections. But I was really pleased with it.. I was really excited by it.
Reporter: Peter, what was it like being welcomed into the Narnia family?
Peter Dinklage: They welcomed me with big open arms. It’s great working with a bunch of people, like these guys and Andrew and some of the producers and one of the effects people had worked on the first movie. So they already have a built in relationship that you sort of walk into, which was sort of… you get passed the meet and greet stage. A lot of the times on a movie, for an actor, you sort of meet somebody and five seconds later you’re doing a love scene with them, and it’s so disorienting and crazy but it happens. But for this movie, for people that hadn’t been a part of the first one, felt like you were walking into a whole world that had already been created. And relationships. And they really welcomed myself and Ben and anybody else who had not been on the first movie.
Reporter: I’m wondering if they kinda had any traditions set up or ways they spent their down time that might have struck you as a little odd at first.
Anna Popplewell: We’re very eccentric people.
Peter Dinklage: They’re very eccentric. They stay in one trailer together. They have these pamphlets they’re always trying to convert us to (Anna Popplewell: Yeah, it’s more of a cult, really.) some sort of cult thing: The Pevensie Way. (laughter) They would chant on lunch breaks, it was creepy, but uh… what was the question?
(laughter)
Reporter: You’re answer is good enough, thank you.
Peter Dinklage: Okay.
Reporter: Anna, Peter, are there any particular messages you wanted your character to convey?
Peter Dinklage: Wow, uh..
Anna Popplewell: I don’t know, I think… people often… I think from the first film, Susan is kind of not very likable because she’s always the one saying ‘well hold on a minute, this doesn’t make sense.’ And I think that a lot of people forget that actually, if you’re treating it at all realistically, and you’re plunged into the world of Narnia, then someone is gonna stand up and say ‘well hang on a minute.’ And she’s kept that element this time around. She’s still asking questions and posing problems, but I think she’s a lot more human this time, so I wanted people to be a little bit more sympathetic and kind of see where she’s coming from.
Reporter: She’s also a bit more of a warrior princess in this one, too!
Peter Dinklage: She kicks..
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, yeah. We were talking about the death count after we saw the movie last night, and you know it’s a PG film so you don’t see a lot of people dying and you don’t see a lot of blood, but I think I probably win the death count. I mean, Will kills a lot of people in the night raid, but they’re on his own side, so that counts negatively.
Peter Dinklage: So death count’s important to you!
Anna Popplewell: Yeah.
Peter Dinklage: Sorry..
(laughter)
Peter Dinklage: Death is.. killing is good to..
Anna Popplewell: Maybe not killing, but the whole…yeah.
Peter Dinklage: Yeah..
Anna Popplewell: Yeah
Peter Dinklage: Good.
Anna Popplewell: But, yeah, I was really… I really enjoyed being part of the action sequences this time around, because it wasn’t something I got to do last time, and it was fun to be involved in that.
Reporter: What about you, Peter, what did you feel that your role conveyed? You have a very strong character.
Peter Dinklage: Healthy cynicism. A little bit of comedy. I think in this world of wonderment and exploration, it’s important to have somebody who’s like ‘I don’t want to do that.’ You know, like ‘I want to go eat a sandwich!’ You know, just somebody who kind of.. for a Narnian it’s weird to be the character that sort of roots it in reality, cause it’s sort of an oxymoron, if you will, right. I just, sort of, love that disgruntled hero, if I can call Trumpkin a hero. Yes.(to Anna) I save you, don’t I?
(laughter)
Reporter: Anna, how was the kiss with Ben? Was there a lot of practice?
Anna Popplewell: Umm, there was no practice, whatsoever. We filmed it right at the end of the shoot, so we did it after we’d known each other for five months already. And it just felt like, okay, this is something that we’re gonna do on set.
Peter Dinklage: That’s not what Ben said. Ben was looking forward to that a long time!
(laughter)
Anna Popplewell: I thought it was gonna be really awkward and it wasn’t at all, so it was fine.
Reporter: Did you have any extra archery training on this one because of the extended battle sequences you had to be in?
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, I had some more of that. I mean, I’m not a perfect archer. I’m sure if you put something in front of me, I’d probably fire behind or something. But they make me look good with CG arrows and things. And I really enjoyed knowing how it’s done. It’s just that you then have to alter it to fit cameras under your arms and over your head and things like that. The nice thing about this movie is that it’s not just kaboom, I get to use the bow more creatively and throw arrows around.
Peter Dinklage: Alan Poppleton is our stunt coordinator, and he was the stunt coordinator on the first one as well and he worked on Lord of the Rings. He’s really really good at what he does. And he has a great team. They’re a New Zealand company. They make us look really good. I mean, all that stuff is because of them and the training they put us through.
Anna Popplewell: We’re not like real life action heroes, really.
Peter Dinklage: No. Kind of scared of that.
Anna Popplewell: Kind of ordinary.
(laughter)
Reporter: Peter, is this the most action you’ve done in a film?
Peter Dinklage: Yeah, I guess so, right? Yeah. I’ve done a lot of emotional action but..(laughter) alright, I’m gonna stop now. (laughter) Sorry. What’s wrong with me? I can’t help it!
Anna Popplewell: It’s the coffee, Peter.
Peter Dinklage: It’s the coffee. I’ve had a lot of coffee. But, yeah, definitely.But it’s fun. When you get a sword and a bow and arrow, and you’re in armor you, it really helps with the make-believe. It really does a lot of the work for you. It really puts you into that world.
Reporter: Anna, you’re studying at Oxford now?
Anna Popplewell: Yes.
Reporter: So, how difficult is it for you to be acting and juggling your education?
Anna Popplewell: Well, I should be writing an essay right now, so actually I should.. (gestures for the door) (laughter) No, it’s, I’ve been doing bits and pieces since I was about seven on sets and things, so it’s always been part of the routine for me, studying in the evenings or during lunch or whenever I can. And I’ve always been really determined about juggling the two, and I think if it’s something that you want to do, you manage it. So while I’m in Oxford, I’m doing lots of student drama and when I’m not, I hope to do some stuff in the holidays, and I’m just gonna see how it goes and try and keep both up for as long as possible.
Reporter: Do you have any upcoming dramas at Oxford?
Anna Popplewell: I’m doing Spring Awakening in a couple of weeks. Not the musical version, because I just can’t sing for toffee, but the play.
Reporter: So your major is drama?
Anna Popplewell: I’m actually studying English literature.
Peter Dinklage: Sing for toffee? I like that.
Anna Popplewell: British expression.
Peter Dinklage: Sing for toffee.
Anna Popplewell: Can’t sing for toffee.
Peter Dinklage: I’m gonna use that with an American accent.
Anna Popplewell: If somebody offered me toffee, then could not sing.
Peter Dinklage: I can’t sing for toffee.
Reporter: Peter, do red heads have more fun?
Peter Dinklage: Do red heads have more.. oh Trumpkin’s a red head, right! (laughter) I’m like ‘Hello, back there! Let me think, what magazine do you work for?’ (laughter) Yeah.. apparently. Although Trumpkin is losing his red hair, isn’t he? He needs to go to Red Hair Club for Men. (laughter) Yeah, that was fun. That was all yak hair and human hair. Somewhere on a mountain top, there’s a very cold yak, because of my make-up. But I made sure the yak was treated properly. Yeah, it’s fun. It’s a little toasty in the hot weather of Eastern Europe.
Anna Popplewell: Pete was amazing. You know, in a battle scene I have a leather bodice on, and bits of chain mail and stuff.
Peter Dinklage: You had a corset though, you could breathe!
Anna Popplewell: Yeah. And I feel uncomfortable, and I look at Pete and he has a yak on his face. (laughter) And he’s still smiling.
Peter Dinklage: Some days, I was smiling.
Anna Popplewell: Occasionally.
Peter Dinklage: Yeah, Occasionally I’d smile.
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, every now and then.
Reporter: What was it like working with Ben?
Peter Dinklage: Ben’s great. I have a new friend. He’s really funny. We have a very similar sense of humor and that’s always important and I loved his performance last night in the film. Movie acting’s tricky. I think with a lot of it, you can’t tell. I mean, I’ve worked with some great actors, and when you’re doing scenes with them, you sort of can’t tell if they’re acting. You can’t see their greatness, really, and then you see it on screen and it’s amazing. I think Ben has that quality and he made the eight months much easier. I think he has a great career ahead of him.
Reporter: Peter, you’re a star in your own right.
Peter Dinklage: Thank you.
Reporter: James McAvoy’s career really soared after Narnia. Do you have great expectations after this film?
Peter Dinklage: Uh.. yeah.. I mean. You know, expectation is a funny thing. I enjoy working. As an actor I think you’re lucky if you’re working, so you just sort of surround yourself with good people and good scripts and hopefully it will pay off. And apparently I’m doing the next one. I can say that because our producer announced it at comic-con last week, so I’m looking forward to that.
Paul Martin: So you worked with Warwick Davis a little bit.
Peter Dinklage: I did.
Paul Martin: Would you like to work with him again?
Peter Dinklage: Sure! If the opportunity arises, yeah. I don’t think we had enough in this film, so I’d love to work with him again. Yeah. Definitely. He’s a very good actor and very experienced with the make-up. I mean, that was sort of one of my first times in that heavy make-up, and Warwick has done so much of that work. He’s an old pro. So, yeah, he’s a good guy.
Reporter: Other than the Narnia projects, are there any other projects that’re coming up that you’re working on?
Peter Dinklage: Yeah, I’m gonna do a play over the summer. A Chekov play.
Reporter: On Broadway?
Peter Dinklage: No, summer theater, upstate New York. Then I’m doing about three or four independent films here and in Los Angeles, before the next Narnia.
Reporter: Did you audition for Narnia or not?
Peter Dinklage: No, I met with Andrew Adamson out in L.A. and I wasn’t actually completely sold on doing it until I met Andrew. I really loved the first movie, but I was a little wary of my involvement and my character because I hadn’t read the script yet. I had read the book. But meeting Andrew changed my mind. He brought me into the animation department where they were already storyboarding the whole movie on computers, and I saw that they had used my face as a reference for Trumpkin. And there I was all over the walls, and running with a bow and arrow on a computer. I was like, ‘That’s me as a video game! Hmm! I guess I can’t say no! I guess I gotta make their jobs easier!’ (laughter) But, not, that was interesting, but it was really meeting Andrew. He’s such a creative force and such a nice person in a great way. You know, cause you meet nice people all the time, but they are nice to sort of just to be a people pleaser. And Andrew’s just genuinely nice, and so talented and creative, so I couldn’t turn that down.
Reporter: Well you mentioned reading the book. When you have a movie that’s based on such a beloved book, do you feel the need to immerse yourself in it, or is the script enough to get you through it?
Peter Dinklage: The script and the director is enough for me. I mean, that’s all you have when you say yes to a movie, or no to a movie. You don’t know who you’re going to be working with. You don’t know what egos you’re going to be working with at that point. So, yeah, it’s all decisions that I make as an actor are all based on meeting the director. I have to meet the director before I say yes. And the script. Although I didn’t read the script for this, I just met Andrew, and that was enough. And seeing all the storyboarding and everything. And obviously the first film.
Reporter: Peter, it’s me back here again.
Peter Dinklage: Hello! (laughter) I’m ready for your sauciness. (laughter) Are you listening to music while we do this? (referring to her headphones) (laughter) What are you doing? (laughter)
Reporter: Listening to my audio.
Peter Dinklage: Are you with these people? (laughter) No, I’m just kidding.
Reporter: You have a serious persona, but yet you are funny in the movie. Was that scripted or did you improv at all, your lines?
Peter Dinklage: No. I didn’t improv anything. I mean, we had tweaked stuff a little bit, I guess, on set. And Andrew was always very willing to change things dialog-wise for everybody, if they weren’t working. Sometimes words on a page are different than words being spoken by an actor in the environment you are in. So that’s just common sense to sort of change things, and if you’re working with a really good director, who is luckily also – we’re lucky to have Andrew as one of the writers of the movie as well – you don’t have to call L.A. and get approval, Andrew just goes ‘sure, alright, yeah, let’s change it, because you’re right.’ So that’s always nice. But improving, no. It was more about tweaking some dialog and mutually agreeing upon it.
Reporter: Anna, your character is not in the next one, and we talked with William about it and he actually seems ready to kind of move on, just like his character, move on and he’s learned all he can from this movie and he’s ready to move on. Do you have the same kind of feeling or are you kinda sad to see your end?
Anna Popplewell: I mean I think Will and I were both sad, you know, on the last days on set. This has been a big, long journey for both of us, purely in the amount of time that it’s taken up. let alone what has happened. But at the same time, I don’t think that I would gain a lot, or that audiences would gain a lot from me playing the same character seven times for seven months at a time. And so, I’m sad to go, but I’m happy to move on. I finished shooting in September, August/September, and I started Oxford in October and I’ve just been reading and playing and doing plays and things like that ever since. And having a great time, really.
Reporter: What do your friends think of you as like a movie star, or as a film star?
Anna Popplewell: I don’t think my friends really think of me as a movie star. (laughter)
Peter Dinklage: Friends are like that, aren’t they. (laughter) I guess that’s why they’re friends.
Anna Popplewell: Yeah! Well, I mean, the people I’m friending with are very cool about it, and not particularly interested in it really. I mean, I’m sure they’ll see the film, but they’re not sitting around.. uh..
Peter Dinklage: I think we both have friends who are outside of the business, which is very healthy sometimes.
Anna Popplewell: Exactly.
Peter Dinklage: Who are just like: ‘I don’t care.’ (laughter)
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, I mean, I don’t walk down the street in London with huge sunglasses and a sign saying ‘look at me, I was in Narnia.’ (laughter) I lead a pretty regular life.
Reporters: Thank you!
Peter Dinklage: Thank you guys!
Anna Popplewell: Thank you!
Reporter: What are some stuff that you indulge in or splurge on, like…
Anna Popplewell: Indulge in…um… I don’t know, really.
Reporter: Shoes, bags, music, make-up.
Anna Popplewell: All the normal stuff, really.
Peter Dinklage: With her? Books.
Anna Popplewell: Yeah, a lot of books, DVDs, that kind of thing.
Reporter: Favorite book?
Anna Popplewell: Oh, it changes all the time. At the moment, I’m really into Henry James.
Reporters: Thank you!
Coming up next in the day, producer Mark Johnson. Beyond him is the final interview in the series: Ben Barnes. Stay tuned!