Move over Harry Potter, there’s a new kid in town and she’s just as magical. Little Georgie Henley might only be 10 years old but it looks as if she’s about to give those Potter whiz kids a serious run for their money.
Not only has she bagged a lead role in one of this year’s most eagerly awaited movies, but she’s clearly a star in the making.
Yorkshire-born Georgie has been plucked from obscurity to star in the blockbuster family film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, based on the classic novels by CS Lewis.
The youngster had never acted before landing the role of Lucy Pevensie – the little girl who discovers the magical world of Narnia at the back of a wardrobe – and admits it was all a little nerve-racking.
“I got a bit nervous at first and kept messing it up,” she blushes. “That’s why they did take after take after take.
“But the director told me they had to do it that way because then they could get lots of cuts,” she adds.
Lucy was whisked away from her home in Ilkley to film on the other side of the globe in New Zealand, where she found herself acting alongside some of the biggest British actors in the business, such as Jim Broadbent and Tilda Swinton.
However, the youngster wasn’t fazed by her illustrious company – in fact, she ended up putting some of them firmly in their place.
Shocked at some of the ripe language from the grown ups, the youngster took it upon herself to organise a swear bucket and says the worst offender was and up-and-coming star James McAvoy, star of the hit TV show Shameless.
“He swore on the first day and I made him put four New Zealand dollars in the bucket,” she giggles.
The pair formed a close bond on set, which mirrored their relationship in the book. The Scottish actor plays Mr Tumnus, the friendly fawn who tries to protect Lucy from Narnia’s evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who has plunged the land into eternal winter.
