Ben Barnes – King Caspian
Asked if there’s a possibility that there may be more “Narnia” movies in his future, Ben quipped, “I approached the producers at the after party, after watching very carefully how many glasses of champagne they had. I made sure they had at least three before I broached the question. [In The Silver Chair,] Caspian is a 70-year-old man, so either they’re going to have to bring Howard Berger (the series’ makeup artist) and his team and I’m going to wake up very early in the morning or they’ll get someone older.’
“But, after those aforementioned glasses of champagne, they were talking about maybe doing flashbacks, because in the last chapter of ‘Dawn Treader,’ Caspian and Liliandil are getting married. There are few potential moments where we could do flashbacks, however.” If you do a quick search of the text, you’ll find many moments where there are some moments from the past mentioned. They could also use it to build the character of Rilian up for the audience.
A newcomer who was suddenly thrust into the limelight when he bagged the title role in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” Ben said, “I had more confidence on the set this time, because we had the break in between, while the studios debated between themselves what they would do with all of our careers. I had a chance to go off and do other films and gain confidence from them as well.”
“A simple job was required of me this time since I’m not playing the title character,” Ben added. “Michael Apted asked me to perform a simpler task— just to be more authoritative, be the adult, instead of getting involved with the quartet of adolescents in the previous film. I relinquished that, and I was happy to walk on the set and have the crew know a bit of who I was. That helped me attain the air of authority to play a regal character.”
Georgie Henley – Lucy Pevensie
Georgie, who is blossoming into a young lady, said, “I’m going to have to move on from the ‘Narnia’ franchise, because I’m not part of the next films anymore, which is a shame. But, all good things must come to an end. I would definitely like to continue acting. I also need to concentrate on school so as long as I can find balance. Then, hopefully, I’ll have a happy adolescence.
“There are some snippets of the Pevensies in some of the books as adults or young adults, so I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out,” she answered on the possibility of being cast again in the potential next installments of the franchise. “Maybe if the opportunity arose and I was approached, and the franchise does continue. Maybe I would consider coming back for a cameo.”
There’s life for Georgie away from the “Narnia” set: “I’ve been going to a regular school for five years now. I’d like to go to university.”
Skandar Keynes – Edmund Pevensie
Skandar Keynes was nursing a bad cold, but he gamely went on with our interview. Of his post-“Narnia” life, Skandar shared, “I don’t have acting projects lined up right now. I’m focusing on my four-year degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern history. A lot can change in that time, and I’m not going to compromise that. I’m going to see what happens in four years’ time.” Skandar is enrolled at the University of Cambridge, no less.
What will he miss about his “Narnia” days? “The people,” Skandar quickly replied. “When we were in some weird places, in the middle of nowhere—or, if we were doing weird scenes, the people were always great! They’re the ones I’ll miss.”
“I’m ready to move on,” he admitted. “I’ve had a great experience. I’ve met amazing people. It was sad to say goodbye, but at the same time, I’m ready to move on, do other things and get my degree!”
Read the whole thing at Inquirer