I found this article on Georgie. Though I share it with you
Georgie Henley
written by Tahirah Conliffe
A quintessentially english day at london’s dorchester hotel: very apposite for the set of today’s shoot with the fresh, young English actress, Georgie Henley aka Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy. The Narnia stories are childhood classics, written by C. S. Lewis in the 1950s, along the lines of timeless tales between good and evil, darkness and light, and the usual sacrifice and rebirth. Sounding a little familiar? Well, you know your Bible. Matthew Chapter 28:1-10.
The hotel’s grandness evokes the lost feeling of Narnia. It also adds to the anticipation of an encounter with a 15-year-old acting adolescent. From the age of eight, Henley has been splitting her time between her hometown of Ilkley, West Yorkshire—in a school uniform with her hair scraped back, working through “Maths course work”—and on a film set surrounded by film crews and, at times, surly actors. The photo team preps for the shoot, nattering about whether or not we are to be faced with a stereotypical moody child actress.
In, from what looks like a glass closet, enters a Lolita-type figure. Everyone is immediately lured into her presence, drawn in by her grace and stunning crown of long, reddish hair punctuated by a warming smile. Instantly doing as she is told, like a good little girl (“Nothing wrong with being a teacher’s pet,” she says cheekily), Henley takes her place, ready to be made up and styled for her first ever fashion shoot. When asked how she feels about having a rail full of Prada, Paul Smith, Christian Louboutin, and the like waiting for her, she excitedly says, “Really! I love fashion and experimented a lot when I was younger. I have been through preppy; bright colors kitsch. I wore some pretty gross stuff, like everybody has!”
Henley talks openly and comfortably. She surprises, not with her precious flights of girlishness, but with her precocious confidence. For a moment, she’s not 15; she’s 30. “I feel like I live two lives, almost,” she admits. “It is kind of surreal for me and means I never get bored. Ever! Reality versus fantasy. My friends never see me in this situation and we never talk about it. We are normally discussing more important topics like—”
“Schoolgirl crushes?” your interviewer interjects.
“Hardly!” she says, alighted. Then she falls into a confidential lean and murmurs, “I normally go for older men, really, which is quite unnerving. I like Bill Nighy, who is like a granddad. I think he is amazing. I also love Russell Brand, and fancy Simon Cowell. He is why I watch The X Factor… Ummm!” She thinks deeply about more men she fancies.
“Johnny Depp is seriously talented and seriously gorgeous—he would be my dream co-star, which is weird ‘cause he is old enough to be my father.” She sighs. “I also love Marion Cotillard. She is incredible, stunning, and talented. I would love to work with her or be her child.”
She goes on. She is on a roll: “Kristen Stewart inspires me. I respect her for being true to herself, not conforming or doing what people tell her. She deals with the fame really well. I think fame is what you make it. If you don’t want the fame, you can still practice your craft.” Is this what Georgie wants? Will she grow into a strong, confident actress that budding young thesps can look up to?
Moving into the hotel ballroom for the first shot, Henley gasps, “It’s like Strictly [Come Dancing] in here, but less cheesy.” She adds that ours has been “the most genuine interview [she] has had all day” following a stream of hasty press junkets to promote the film.
What does the future hold for Henley? “To continue with acting,” she responds. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything that would give me more fulfillment in my life. That might be big words for a small girl, but that’s how I feel. You are never going to learn anything if you stay in the same closed-in world. My future is quite ambiguous. I really don’t know what I am going to do; there are so many options. I would love to experiment with music and be in a band. That would be great.”
Henley clearly has a command of herself unusual for girls her age, surely the symptoms of an acting upstart. But perhaps there’s something deeper than a hurried plunge into adulthood. “I am a bit different,” she says, “and not in a good way, most of the time.” Is it possible this sweet face is just a façade that allows her to get away with a dark and somewhat macabre mindset?
The hairdresser pipes in to offer, “You are going to be one of those childhood actresses that turns into a Charlotte Church, turning her back on youthful innocence.”
“You are exactly right,” Henley grins. “That is what I am planning now.”