Interviews

 Enzo Ferrari
Sunday, 02/01/2004



What part did you play?
Ferrari as a child.

Who played the adult Enzo Ferrari?
The Italian actor Sergio Castellito with whom I was reunited in Prince Caspian.

Did you go to Italy when you filmed Enzo Ferrari?
Yes, twice to Bologna and twice to Rome for a total of three weeks and three days.

What did you like best about Italy?
The fountains in Rome and the food in Bologna.

What was the most fun art of the filming?
Seeing all the old cars and eating pizza every day.









2005 - 

 Into The Wardrobe - Empire Magazine
They may not be household names yet, but Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell and William Moseley are headlining one of the year's big releases, the new adaptation of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. Directed by Andrew "Shrek" Adamson, making his leap to live action, this is the first live feature adaptation of CS Lewis' classic fantasy novel. We talked to Adamson and all four Pevensie children about becoming a family, dealing with fantasy and doing their own stunts…

Georgie, you haven’t acted before…weren’t you just a bit nervous when you started?

Georgie Henley: It was quite hard for me, but you get used to it, because everyone’s there to help and they all look after you. I got a bit nervous at first, because I thought that I kept messing it up and that’s why they did it take after take after take. Then Andrew told me that they had to do it that way.

Skandar, you were one of the last stars to get signed up to the movie. How excited were you about it?

Skandar Keynes: Yeah, I was as excited, as anyone would be. I went to a few auditions in a week and I was nervous because when I got home from an audition there was a script for the next one. When I met the others, they all knew each other. They were all like, “Hey, how you doing? Good to see you again”. I was just thinking, “What is going on?”

Anna, you’ve tried to maintain a lady-like cool over the whole process. Secretly, were you in any inner turmoil?

Anna Popplewell: I think I always try to maintain a lady-like cool but it doesn’t always work. The thing is, when you put yourself up for an audition, you also put yourself up for rejection. You have to accept that you might fall a little short and just not be good enough.

Andrew: C.S. Lewis’s novel leaves a lot to the imagination. Was that a joy for you as a filmmaker?

Andrew Adamson: It was definitely great to bring that imagination to the screen. At the same time, this book has probably been read a hundred million people and they have all have their own interpretation. The challenge was meeting and exceeding the expectations of all of those people. People would come onto the set and say, “This is exactly how I remembered it”, and that was somewhat reassuring.

It’s the first book of the series and there’s also a prequel. Were you always thinking about the long-term?

Andrew Adamson: I grew up reading the books. I read all seven of them and I resented having to get to the end of them because I wanted to stay in that world. In making The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, I realised that my impression of it from my childhood was actually much bigger than the book itself, largely because I’d never seen it. So I didn’t want to bring the world of those other books into this film.

There was a lot of American evangelical interest in this film. What did you make of it?

Andrew Adamson: The press, particularly in America, seem to be obsessed with the religious aspect. I often like to talk to people about the resurrection, allegory and Xionists, and ask if they like The Matrix. Well, there’s Neo: there’s an allegory for you. Obviously, C.S. Lewis was a Christian apologist. But to me, I think spirituality and religion is a very personal issue and it’s really up to the audience to read into it and interpret it as they wish. I made the movie from the book, so what you get from the book, you get from the movie.

How much of the Chronicles have you read and how much of what you see in the film did you visualise from reading the books?

Georgie Henley: I basically read all of them except the last battle before I was seven, and before the casting process. The vision I had of TLWW was that Aslan would be brought to life by kindness, yet he would be wise and powerful. I also thought, like Tilda, that the best way for the White Witch to be interpreted was to be more cold and menacing.

William Moseley: I first read it when I was about seven years old. When I came back to it at the age of fifteen, I didn’t think it would appeal to me. But I read it so quickly and so fast that my imagination went crazy with these amazing ideas. I think at the point when I finished the book, I felt “yeah, I really want to be a part of this film.”

Anna Popplewell: I read the books when I was quite young and re-read them during the casting. I really enjoyed them just as much the second time around - I thought they were wonderful stories. I had really high expectations of the film and it exceeded all of my expectations.

Skandar Keynes: I’ve read them before, and to me I imagined it [Narnia] would be a colourful and vibrant place with a happy, positive atmosphere. Apart from somewhere like the White Witch’s palace!

Father Christmas, who appeared in the film, was unlike the traditional red-suited Santa Claus creation of Coca-Cola. Were you under any pressure to make him more recognisable?

Andrew Adamson: There was definitely discussion about whether Father Christmas would be recognisable, particularly in the States where he’s obviously more known as Santa Claus. I think in context it works fine and it doesn’t really matter if you know if he’s Father Christmas or not. I think a bigger question was whether he should be in the film or not. Even when reading the book as a child, I thought, “Where’d he come from and what’s he doing here?” C.S. Lewis and Tolkien almost ended their friendship arguing that point and I didn’t really think it was up to me to take him out.

There’s an amazing sequence at the frozen waterfall with lots of special effects and stunts. Was it an easy or difficult scene to act in?

Georgie Henley: Well, it was quite hard, because at times we were on an iceberg and we had to pretend that we had just fallen at great speed down this river. Of course, you have to imagine that you were searching for breath and really, really scared. But then I was thinking, “I’m so cold, I’m so wet”.

William Moseley: What was amazing about that stunt was that there actually wasn’t that much pretending. We all believed it!

Anna Popplewell: I don’t know if this was on purpose or not, but every time I stood on an iceberg, the water seemed to squirt up my skirt.

Andrew Adamson: We got some very authentic screams. (laughs)

What was harder: overcoming the conditions or overcoming the fantasy?

Anna Popplewell: I think that they combined really, because as we were overcoming the idea of being in this heavy fur coat and things, it was also taking yourself out of the real situation and acting.

The characters seemed to develop a rapport very quickly. Did you do any acting workshops beforehand or did you bond instantly?

Anna Popplewell: Actually, we were really lucky. It was a very long casting process, and I met Will very early on, so we already knew each other quite well by the time it came to filming. We met Georgie quite early on as well, and Skandar at the last minute. It was brilliant, but I think Skandar, you said you thought you were a little bit outside it…

Skandar Keynes: On the edge…

Anna Popplewell: We fitted together so well and we just all really got on. I think we were really lucky that it wasn’t that much of a challenge to create a family dynamic. I think there are definitely elements of ourselves in our characters. I’d like to think I’m a little bit less sensible than Susan, but I’m not sure.

William Moseley: I just feel that C.S. Lewis wrote the book in such a way that if you could find four children and you put them together, the only inevitable solution or situation would be that they’d become a family. There were moments, and still are, when we would support each other and moments when we were very, very close.

Andrew Adamson: And there were moments when they would torment each other. (laughs)



Meeting The Family - msnbc.com
The Pevensie children couldn't have been better cast. William Moseley plays Peter, who must lead an army. Anna Popplewell plays cautious Susan. Skandar Keynes is devious Edmund. And Georgie Henley is openhearted little Lucy.

It's nice to see kids. I miss my own children.

Skandar Keynes, 14: You don't want me—trust me!

You had a birthday recently. What did your castmates give you?

Skandar: Lots of stuff.
Anna Popplewell, 16: We gave him a huge surfing rucksack and DVDs and stuff.
William Moseley, 18 [Laughing]: We also added something very, very... polite.
Skandar: No, no, that's the end of the story!
Anna: William and I had a bit of a joke.
Skandar: I think I hear my mum calling.
Anna: Georgie's and my costumes have all this long, authentic 1940s underwear. One day we were hot and complaining, and I said, "Oh, I've got so much underwear on!" Skandar had this look on his face like he was not comfortable.
Georgie Henley, 10: It was a very uncomfortable conversation.
William: Skandar has girls' disease, which is a, um, mild form of hating all women.
Skandar: No, I don't! Just people who are older and scarier.
Anna: Anyway, ever since, we've teased Skandar about his phobia of women's underwear. So for his birthday we chose the pinkest, tackiest, smallest G-string we could find and wrapped it in pink tissue paper.
William: The look on his face was the same look that the White Witch uses to turn creatures into stone.

When did you first read the "Narnia" books?
Anna: I was 7 when I read them.
Skandar: I was 8.
Georgie: I was 6.
Anna: Georgie's very smart.
William: Georgie's a very good reader. One of the assistant directors will come up and say, "OK, school time, everyone," and Skandar and I will roll our eyes. And the girls will be like... ANNA and GEORGIE: "Yaaaaaaay!"[Laughter]

What kind of movies do you like? 

Skandar: Anything that has blood and guts. "Saving Private Ryan" was heaven.

You must have seen "Shrek 2," because your director, Andrew Adamson, made that.

Anna: Oh, that was so good!

Is Andrew nice to kids?

Skandar: Yeah, he's great.
Georgie: And the thing is, he worked on "Batman and Robin" on visual effects. He's great with computers. It's a bit difficult to branch out to people.

Do you look forward to when the movie comes out and everyone wants to shake your hands?

William: For me, it's not really about that. It's more about being here. How many people want to do what we're doing? We're so lucky.

Will the movie be good?

Anna: Yeah, the movie's going to be awesome. Everyone has to go see it!
William [Laughing]: Oh, shut up, Anna.
Anna: I'm just doing my little promo!




 I Do Have Someone Special» - Girls Life
As if you don't know, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe , a tale of four sibs who enter an icy, magical world through a closet, in theaters now. The film's two hotties, William Moseley, 18, and Skandar Keynes, 15, phoned us from their homes near London. And, yes, their English accents make them just as dreamy to talk to as they are to look at.

What was the most exciting part about being in this film?

Skandar Keynes: The free food!
William Moseley: The battle scene, definitely. I had to gallop a white Spanish horse across the battlefield toward New Zealand's white snow-capped mountains. That was wonderful.
SK: At first, I was really bad at riding the horse and wondered why he didn't listen. But then I gained confidence and did some cool rearing stunts on the horses. Sword fighting was cool too. I had wanted to do sword fighting--I saw it on Star Wars and wanted to do it.

You did this in full suits of armor, right?

SK: Yeah. I kept having to get mine refitted because I grew 6-and-a-half inches in the six to seven months we filmed. I'm now rather taller than most people.
WM: It was kinda difficult to do my schoolwork in the armor. To think now that I was once sitting down, doing my English literature in full armor. You didn't take it off during tutoring because it took such a long time to put it on and off.

What's your favorite creature from the film?

WM:
The Cyclops. They were amazing. They were quite simple but had independent moving eyes that were so realistic, it was amazing. It was a rubbery plastic sort of thing, with one person in it. A really good mask. I had to battle the Cyclops.
SK: The wolves were really cool. There were about 12 wolves, and they were real. There was one they would let us touch, and I petted it.

Were there any on-set romances?

SK:
Will liked the producer's niece. She was really nice and really cute, which was sort of, "Oooh, tension." She was told not to come on set for a bit 'cause he was really distracted. They kept saying I had a crush on Tilda [Swinton, who plays the White Witch], and it was really embarrassing. I don't have a crush on her, but she is really cool.

Do you guys have girlfriends?

WM:
I do have someone special, but I'm not going to reveal who it is. We've been together for a while.
SK: I recently split up with a girl after about two months. I'm not sad. I'm over it now. It's cool.

Are you prepared for having female fans flock to you?

WM:
I don't know--it's really bizarre. I will just take things as they come. I have to take it in my stride and take a few deep breaths and manage it in the most mature way I can. I think that's probably the best way to deal with it.
SK: This one girl said she saw me in a magazine, and she was asking me all these questions about Will. I told her, "You know, Will has a girlfriend." She was really disappointed.

Do you have any hidden talents?

WM: I love juggling every now and again. I can juggle sort of anything, really. Anything that needs juggling, I can pretty much get it going. Much to my mother's objection, I always juggle the fruit in the house. Whenever I see it, I pick it up and juggle it. But I try to be too elaborate or better at it than I am, so I drop it and my mom gets pretty angry with me.
SK: I can do different things with my tongue, like make it go into four parts. And I can crack my neck and my fingers. When I was young, I fell off a swing, so I have a massive bump on my middle finger that looks weird. I can bend my finger all the way back. The first time, it really hurt, but you sort of get used to it.

We'll take your word on it!




 Boys Of Narnia - about.com
Skandar Keynes on Turkish Delight in The Chronicles of Narnia: «I had 35 pieces the size of my fist and I would not recommend it. If you have good Turkish Delight in small quantities, it’s good. I think it’s one of the things if you hold in your hand and it’s on set, if you have a tight grip, it’ll start to melt on your fingers.»

William Moseley on Growing Through the Chronicles of Narnia: «I essentially did go from a boy to a young man but that was because of the environmental forces that were pushing me into that role. It’s more of the responsibility that I had to deal with. I was halfway around the world living by myself. Living by oneself is something which you deal with and you have to deal with and get on with. I had an amazing safety net below me. But dealing with adults the whole time as well, not with people your own age or people younger than you. We had jobs.»

Skandar Keynes on His Character Arc in The Chronicles of Narnia: «It helps and it also challenged me in ways which was great because Andrew is a big of a perfectionist because he worked on Shrek. It was great because he would push me and he would never give up on me. At the end of the day, he got a better performance out of me than if he’d just given up on the first two takes. It was great because at the end it felt really rewarding.»

William Moseley on Pleasing the Fans of The Chronicles of Narnia: «We only want people to have their vision of us up on the screen and no to think, 'Oh, well that’s not Peter. That’s not Susan. They’re terrible.' Because there is that huge responsibility to the fan base of 100 million readers. So we didn’t really want to screw up to be honest.»

Skandar Keynes on the Chronicles of Narnia Books: «I came to it when I was about 12. I read the book when I was like eight or seven. And I got the first audition when I was about 12. Ever since, it’s played quite a major role in my life because I went away for six months and I don't think a month or a week goes by without someone saying it in my house, so it’s had a big effect on my life and not for the worst reasons. It’s been good.»

Skandar Keynes on Edmund's Character Flaws: «He’s quite weak minded because at first, the White Witch gives him these temptations of oh, you can rule over your brother. And at that time, his brother’s suddenly been given his father’s role and his father’s just gone away to war. So he’s feeling quite angry. So that’s how it all really starts. But then once he gets captured by her because he doesn’t bring them to her, he realizes what a mistake he’s made and automatically seeks forgiveness from his brothers and sisters.»

William Moseley on the Training for Chronicles of Narnia: «I had to go through a lot of horse riding. It was seven months of horse riding, seven months of stunt training. I came to a point where I could gallop bareback with a full suit of armor, a sword and a shield. The thing was, it never seemed hard. It just seemed easy and fun so I wanted to keep on doing it. I never really found it a big, big challenge. It seemed like something I wanted to go further with, something I would have wanted to jump in the middle of a battlefield and to jump and land.»

Skandar Keynes on Fun and Difficult Moments in The Chronicles of Narnia: «The most fun was probably walking on set every morning and saying, 'Hey, how you doing' to like 500 people. So walk on set and saying hey to everyone, you can never really be unhappy. Everybody wants to be and it was really fun to be there. Some days I wish I could go back and say hey to everyone. [Hardest], sometimes the long hours and being away from home, but it wasn’t really that hard on me because we were with this extended family. I always felt that when I was on set I was full of energy but then I’d get in the car and fall asleep.»

William Moseley on Pushing Himself: «I always wanted to go a little bit further. It got to a point with my stunt coordinators, a lot of the time I’d be like, 'Can I do that jump here? Can I smash someone’s head off with my sword?' I basically just couldn’t fall off or they would go pretty crazy


 Tilda Swinton & Skandar Keynes On Narnia - Cinema Confidential

It’s an odd sight- Jadis the White Witch in slacks and a button-down shirt, fighting off a cold with ginger water and teasing her adolescent onscreen nemesis, Edmund Pevensie.

In ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'', Edmund (Skandar Keynes) betrays his three siblings for the false lures of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton)- Turkish delight, cocoa, and a chance to be king. It’s hard to imagine Keynes, who mischievously admits to real-life siblings riffs- doing any such thing, and even harder to imagine the polite and charming Swinton embodying evil. Unsurprisingly, this talented duo- who talked Narnia will press in New York last month- pulls it off.

Q: So I have to ask- the White Witch vs. Lord Voldemort- who wins?
Tilda: Are you talking about a character from ''Lord of the Rings?'' Seriously, because I haven’t seen ''Lord of the Rings.''

Q: Nope, ''Harry Potter.''
Tilda: I haven’t seen that either. Sorry. (to Skandar) But you say, since you’ve seen ''Harry Potter.''
Skandar: White Witch all the way! But I haven’t seen Voldemort alive yet.

Q: You guys have a ton of scenes together. Tilda, did you keep Skandar in line?
Tilda: That’s where we’re going – into the truth zone. No, it was very silly most of the time.

Q: Skandar, what did you learn from Tilda?
Skandar: When I first arrived on the set I was shoving food in my mouth and running around. I had just come from school and there were all these free soft drinks. And Tilda came on and she...
Tilda: I’ve taught him not to use the brand name of the soft drink.
Skandar: So then I saw Tilda come on, and she was cool and laid back and relaxed. I realized that maybe I should calm down a bit.
Tilda: I made a lazy clone.

Q: Skandar, what was the battle scene like for you?
Skandar: That was cool. I wasn’t really in most of the battle scene, you’d have to ask William about that, but the parts I were in were fun. Edmund’s true turning point is when he goes to stop the Witch.

Q: Do you enjoy playing bad characters?
Tilda: I’m trying to think of what bad characters I’ve played. You’re going to say ''Constantine''.

Q: ''The Beach''.
Tilda: Well, ''The Beach'' is different.
Skandar: What’s ''The Beach''?
Tilda: You’re too young, man. You’re too young to see all my films. But that’s (in ''The Beach'') a human, a fanatical human. I think that I personally have a problem with doubtlessness. I think doubtlessness is a problem. I really like testing that. The character in ''The Beach'' has that fanatical doubtlessness and becomes unstuck by it. The Angel Gabriel in ''Constantine'', even though the Angel Gabriel is the righteous one and is good and golden and warm and smiling but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and ends up torching the place. The White Witch is the epitome of all evil. It’s not even human. It’s not even really in human shape. And she’s cold. She really wants to dominate.

Q: How do you choose your projects?
Tilda: The people. It’s always the people. I was spoiled so early on when I first started making films with Derek Jarman and I worked with the same team for nine years on seven different films and I learned early that it can be that good. It can be fun and it can be rewarding. A conversation with a filmmaker is what it’s all about. The fact is that in the independent world it may take you five years to get a film off the ground, so you better like hanging out with these people. And then you’re going to have to do this for probably another ten years to get the film to reach its audience. That’s what I’m in it for, a feeling of friendship and comradeship.

Q: Can you tell right away when you speak with a director if it’s going to be a good experience?
Tilda: Yeah, if there’s a kind of excitement in the filmmaker. Very often, I have to say, it’s in a big-time filmmaker. The joke is that in the last year I have made two big studio films, but both of them have been with first time filmmakers. Francis Lawrence with ''Constantine'' and Andrew Adamson with this. They’re the most highly funded first time filmmakers in history, probably, but still first time filmmakers are filled with an enthusiasm you cannot buy, and a first timer’s mind is filled with ''Let’s give it a go.'' That’s really a wonderful thing to get caught up in. I love working with people who just want to go on that kind of adventure.

Q: Skandar, Edmund betrays his brothers and sisters, so how do you make him likable?
Skandar: I don’t think you’re supposed to like him at first. You’re not supposed to sympathize with him, anyway. It’s when he gets redeemed that you like him. It was easy with Andrew’s direction and the script.

Q: Is it easy to understand redemption at such a young age?
Skandar: I think so.
Tilda: There aren’t many things Skandar Keynes doesn’t understand. Anybody who has been mean to their sister – as any right-thinking sibling has – would understand the need for redemption.

Q: Tilda, are your kids are OK with their mom being the baddie?
Tilda: They’re not interested in seeing the film. They’re the only two tickets in the world, I think, that Disney is not going to sell. But I am thrilled about that. The young audience is, I hope, going to be backing away from me for the rest of their lives.

Q: Why don’t they want to see it?
Tilda: They’re not in the loop of all this. They don’t watch television. They live up a tree. We keep them in a box. I want to say that they’ve got better things to do with their time and I look forward to Walt Disney publicity coming down on my head, but they have. They’re not that interested, and it took me away from them for a bit. They call it ''Lionel Ritchie’s Wardrobe'' anyway.

Q: I would go see that.
Tilda: I would too.

Q: After working is really nuanced character roles, how did you approach bringing reality to a character as over the top as this one?
Tilda: She’s not a character in that she’s not human. It’s a free pass into all sorts of nonsense that doesn’t add up. It occurred to me that there was a stereotype of evil out there that had never frightened me, certainly not as a child, which was a sort of stomping, shouting, hot variety. What I really wanted to look at was a thing that I think really frightens children, which is a kind of coldness. And a kind of unpredictability. The idea that somebody is not remotely emotional. Even when she shouts at him, she shouts because she thinks it will help. Children love knowing they’re getting to you. You can’t get to her. She’s not even there.

Q: How did the icicle tiara come about?
Tilda: I’m not a believer in metal crowns and I thought it would be nice to see her crown. She is Narnia; she’s this evil spirit and she needs some kind of semi-human form, so she just gives herself the shape and pulls in the side of a frozen waterfall for a dress and a bit of snow for a fur, and this ice crown. The idea is that as her power fades, the ice crown goes too. I just love that. I thought it was something to watch.

Q: What did you actually have on your head?
Tilda: A big old wig.

Q: The Stone Table was an amazing sequence. How many creatures were actually there and how many were added later?
Tilda: I don’t know exactly the statistics, but it was a full on rock concert of the Iron Maiden variety, and it was packed.

Q: That must have been interesting- you’re actually playing to minotaurs.
Tilda: Yeah. We’re bringing out an album later this year. We’re bringing out lounge music, the two of us. Sleigh Time. Winter Wonderland.

Q: Is there a character from literature or history that you would like to play?
Skandar: Maybe some assassin or something would be cool.
SWINTON: Maybe a remake of ''Zoolander''.
Skandar: Yeah, if they do a remake of ''Zoolander'' I could do that.

Q: So for both of you guys this is your first action figure movie. Unless I’m wrong, Tilda, and they did that playset for ''The War Zone''.
Tilda: I think it’s still on sale. I love that idea. It’s so sick. Video games would be next. War Zone video games. (to Skandar) And that’s another one you can’t see, so don’t even ask.

Q: But this is your first action figure?
Tilda: Apparently, but I haven’t seen it. Do you get it in cereal packets?

Q: McDonalds.
Tilda: You get it at McDonalds? Excellent. How wise they were not to tell us that before we signed the contract. In McDonalds what’s the product? Is it an Edmundburger? What do they put on the food, what’s the white stuff?

Q: Tilda, you helped produce ''Thumbsucker''. Are there more small movies like that on the horizon for you?
Tilda: Yeah. And I hope Disney will help. I love the idea that it’s possible that a few people might go look for the films of Derek Jarman as a result of this film. Or that we might be able to get David Mackenzie, who made ''Young Adam'' – (to Skandar) which is another one you can’t see either!
Skandar: Can I see any of your films?
Tilda: No.
Skandar: I’ve seen "Vanilla Sky".
Tilda: How did you see that, man? You’re too young.
Skandar: It was on TV. I’m not too young for that!

Q: What’s ''Michael Clayton''? 
Tilda: Michael Clayton is a film that Tony Gilroy is writing and directing and George Clooney’s company is making in January. It’s the same team that made Syriana and Traffic. It’s about a sort of corporate corruption, whistle-blower story. I’m playing a corporately corrupt lawyer.

Q: You’re a bad guy again.
Tilda: I’m a human bad guy. Yeah, deeply flawed.
Q: Skandar, have they talked to you about coming back for ''Prince Caspian''?
Skandar: They probably have, but I can’t remember.


 Narnia's White Witch & Edmund - Coming Soon.net
In Walt Disney's upcoming big screen version of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, one of the more interesting stories involves the younger Pevensie brother, Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and his relationship with the "queen" of Narnia, the White Witch known as Jadis, played by actress Tilda Swinton.

ComingSoon.net spoke with Swinton and Keynes recently about their respective characters and their relationship in this story.

CS: Did you read C.S. Lewis' books as a child?
Tilda Swinton: I didn't. I'm the only living person who did not read this as a child.
Skandar Keynes: I read it, and I was never really aware that it had such a big following and now I've noticed that it does. I never really felt any pressure.

CS: But did you have a sense that this film would be important, and if so, what do you feel is the importance?
Swinton: We got a sense of the size, and we got a sense they were spending some money on it, because 1500 people turned up for lunch every day. I'm not a person to answer about the importance, because as I say, I was an infidel. I wasn't a "Narnian" as a child so I didn't have the feeling of the pressure. I knew that Narnia was a big thing for people, but I didn't realize until the last few days quite how big and how many people it is a big thing for. (to Skandar) You might have more of a sense of that cause it was a big thing when you were a child.

CS: Having now read the books, do you think that Andrew stayed true to them with his focus?
Keynes: Yes, and it is. We had Lewis' stepson as a supervisor on the set, making sure we didn't go too far which we didn't. It's very faithful. Many fans of the book having seen the film now say that they're glad we didn't go too far in reinventing things. We never reinvented things, we sort of expanded on them... taking little gambles. The battle scene was only a page long [in the book].

Swinton: In fact, the entire book, for those like me who came to it so late... Now knowing the film so well, you go back to the book as I did the other day and it's tiny! It's really, really tiny and CS Lewis writes so beautifully that a line will evoke an entire world and the battle is only that much. (makes a hand gesture to represent a small amount)

CS: In the book, there's a scene where the White Witch has a talk with Aslan in his tent. Was that actually shot for the film?
Swinton: No, it's not, by the way in the book either, it's just to do with them walking off. I don't think in the book they ever go into a tent they just go walk up the side of a hill and have a little chat - but you're never there. The narrator never takes us there, we don't know what goes on. Who knows what goes on between the force of all evil and the force of all good I mean that really is something to have in one's mind.

CS: So what did each of you like the most about your characters?
Swinton: I don't really play a character because the White Witch is not human, so that gave me a free pass to allow her not to add up at all. I don't know that I like anything about her, really. She's inhuman in that she's just interested in dominating in a doubtless way and I find that truly despicable and not really useful for human beings. But she looks good.

Keynes: I like Edmond and the fact that he goes through such a new journey and changes the most, and that I got the chance to do the most sort of varied performance. It was great for me, because it challenged me, and it meant I could push myself further. Andrew is a perfectionist, which is great because it meant that he would never really give up on me. At the end of the day, I could come away feeling that reward.

CS: Skandar, how was the transition for your character to go from bratty to good, and were you ever asked to play it even naughtier?
Keynes: Not necessarily easy, changing ways, but once I'd done it was most rewarding, so it was what was wanted. I don't think they wanted me to be naughtier. They were fine with the naughtiness.

CS: Skandar, this being a huge epic, how was it for your first movie?
Keynes: Cool. It was fun. I don't know about other movie sets that are like it... but it was fun.

CS: Did you become friends with the cast?
Keynes: Yeah we did. Something that Mark and Andrew noticed on the final screen test and wanted to make sure [of] was that we bonded well like a family and fitted our roles, which was kind of luck in a way. When we were in New Zealand we were like a family, so it was great that we had bonded well.

CS: Did you have to go through a lot of training for the fight scenes?
Keynes: Yes, I did all my own stunts.
Swinton: Even eating Turkish Delight, which was the biggest stunt of all.

CS: For those of us whom aren't Turkish, what is Turkish Delight anyway?
Swinton: Well there are those who will tell you it's the most delicious thing on earth and there are those who will tell you it's disgusting and I'm in the latter camp. It tastes of soap.

Keynes: They actually made a fiberglass one with a talcum powder. It's delicious if you have the really good stuff in small amounts. Not in industrial quantities.

Swinton: It's like a jello... I can't think of a western equivalent.

Keynes: It's one of those things that if you hold in your hand too long it will start molding over your hand.

Swinton: It's like something you'd get from a joke shop.

CS: Did you know that you'd be required to do so much for this film?
Keynes: Well, I had talked to Andrew, and we did rehearsals. During the first day we got to New Zealand at 5 o'clock in the morning he sent us straight to base camp and we started rehearsing. Also, during auditions, I had talked to Andrew and we sort of collaborated a bit.

CS: Did you learn how to ride a horse?
Keynes: Yes, I learned how to. During the final cut it didn't get into that much, but I know how to.
Swinton: Neither Will nor Skandar had ever been on a horse before this film, which is really impressive. They're galloping across plains with no saddle and no bridle.

CS: And had you ridden in a chariot before?
Swinton: Not on film.

CS: Tilda, what sort of tricks did they use to make you look so big on screen?
Swinton: The dress and tiny, tiny, tiny costars and heels. (To Skandar) You were so much smaller though when you started. Basically, you grew 6 and a half inches during the shoot and I think you must have grown two more since then.
Keynes: I was 4'9".
Swinton: We were doing television interviews the other day in front of a poster of us and Skandar looks [completely different].

CS: What did they do to your eyes to make them look so scary?
Swinton: I wear a variety of different colored contact lenses. There was an idea that Andrew and I had that when the witch killed that her pupils would dilate like a cat when a cat has killed a mouse or a bird, pupils dilate. We had this idea - anything to make her that bit more frightening.

CS: How was it for you to work with younger, inexperienced actors?
Swinton: The great thing about working with anybody, whether they're an experienced actor or not, is that you hope they're going to be a person. Actors either are people who have so much experience that they know what you really need to be as a person or people who haven't got any experience tend to know that as well. Again, given what I said earlier about choosing filmmakers, I had a really good conversation with Andrew, to put together this group of children?(To Skandar) Sorry to call you a child, I know you're really a dude, but you were a child once? He picked real people, and the fact that they're not experienced might have something to do with it, but I suspect that they'll always be very variable people even when they make films. The same is true with a film like "Thumbsucker." You know, it's just putting different people together in a group.

CS: How much of the religious allegory was in your mind while making this movie?
Swinton: The religious allegory never occurred to me, but then I'm not looking for religious allegory and so maybe it wouldn't. Maybe those who look for such a thing might find it. I don't know, but it depends on their religion. I think it's all in the eye of the beholder. I think it's pre-religious, really. It's a classical fairy story about surviving and being self-sufficient; which is actually the opposite of being religious, which is the opposite of relying on other people or any kind of belief system. It's about really digging deep and learning who you are when you're away from your mother and father.

CS: Did you see any similarities between your characters in this and in "Constantine"?
Swinton: No similarities at all. They're kind of bookends. I love the fact that I actually decided to do both these films right about at the same time; and the decisions were related in a way. I loved the fact that at the beginning of this year, I play the righteous right-hand of God, and at the other end of the year I play the epitome of all evil. I think that they're very different in the sense that the arc-angel is righteous and is absolutely determined that God needs souls, and as many souls the better. The arc-angel is the illustration of the idea that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but is also demonically warm. I was interested in the idea that it's possible for people to get completely carried away with the idea of doubtless righteousness; and we all know this now, it's really a possibility. I would say actually that's the one similarity between them, is that they're doubtless. That's why both of them are involved with or incline to evil because that's what is truly the idea of being absolutely and unswayably doubtless. Of course the White Witch is not even interested in being righteous at all. She's just bad.

CS: Considering that you've made a career of making those smaller independent films, what makes you say "yes" to a bigger film like this?
Swinton: Honestly I'm not aware of having a career, I'm aware of having a life and I just choose the friends I want to hang out with for however long it is that it takes to make a film. Particularly in the independent world, that can mean years so you need to pick well. I learned very early on when I was spoiled with my working experience with Derek Jarman, through my work for nine years on seven films, that friendship's the best thing you can find on a film set. It's worth sticking with your mates, really. So I'm always looking for people who I want to hang out with. I've been very, very fortunate.

CS: But business-wise, is it good to do a "Constantine" or a "Narnia" in order to help gets butts in the seats for when you do the smaller films?
Swinton: There are people who I'm associated with who would be nodding right now and they'd probably say "yes." There's no doubt about it. I'm truly thrilled at the idea that maybe thanks to Walt Disney, people might, if we pull it off, go and seek out Derek Jarman films or Lynn Hershman films, and that really gives me a thrill. It might make it easier for me to get films made in the future, so that would be a great bonus. Having said that, I would have made this film with Andrew Adamson if he had wanted to make it in a parking lot on $200,000 dollars, I really would. It was a sort of an added joke that it was this juggernaut, and we went to the set in helicopters every day.

CS: What are your post-Narnia plans?
Keynes: I'm going to school. I go to auditions and stuff, I went through an entire string of auditions right when I got back from New Zealand, so nothing's confirmed yet.
Swinton: I'm going home to reacquaint myself with my children, and then, I'm going to make a film in the New Year in New York with George Clooney. It's a film called "Michael Clayton" by Tony Gilroy, made by the same team who did "Traffic" and "Syriana" - a political/corporate sleeze type story set in New York.

CS: Has the studio left the door open for more films and do you have any sort of contract that says whether you'll be in the next film?
Keynes: I should check. I don't know if they're going to make another film, you'd have to ask Andrew or Mark.

CS: Tilda, could you come back for a sequel?
Swinton: I can actually, because "The Magician's Nephew" is a prequel and Jadis is in that one. I really, really hope they do that one because it is wicked, and I love it.

CS: So the possibility has been mentioned?
Swinton: Obviously they're calling this thing "The Chronicles of Narnia" so obviously somewhere before they printed posters someone was thinking that if this one draws a few people into the cinemas, they might consider doing some more so I don't know, but literally, nobody knows.



 Faun & Games For Narnia Kid Stars - My Way
THE four British kids who play the Pevensie children in "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" are experts at make-believe. Not only did they have to pretend a tennis ball was a talking lion named Aslan, but they also engaged in long, on-screen conversations with the toys that stood in for talking beavers and centaurs.

While making the film, they've also traveled the world, from New Zealand to California, learning to ride horses, brandish swords and shoot arrows. We caught up with three of them - Georgie Henley, 10; Skandar Keynes, 14; and William Moseley, 18 (who play, respectively, Lucy, Edmund and Peter) in Manhattan. Here's what they told us - once they quit teasing one another.

Q: What was the coolest thing about shooting "Narnia"?

Georgie: We were in the Czech Republic in this huge studio with a 30-foot tank, and there was a slide going into it. Tons of water would come swishing down the slide, and it would hit us on this [fake] iceberg and we'd go up and up and up on this huge wave.

William: Mine was horseback riding. We got to gallop on a white unicorn across the fields, with snow-capped mountains in the background and a full suit of armor and a sword and shield.

Skandar: The last time I went horse-riding, Will starts galloping full speed. My horse was very competitive, so he went for it. And I whupped Will.

William: Yea, Skandar. Well done. Sure.

Q: Ever get scared?

Georgie: I was very scared of horses. Now I really like them. I also overcame my fear of the dark. Once all the lights went out on the set and Andrew [Adamson, the director] held my hand and he was like, "Don't worry, Georgie." And then your eyes get adjusted to it and you think, "Oh, it's not that bad."

Q: What's your favorite Narnia creature?

William: My favorite is Aslan. I wasn't sure how realistic he would look and how much I would believe it.

Q: Since Aslan was a tennis ball, how'd you pet his fur?

William: We'd just use our imaginations.

Skandar: With the Beavers, Andrew would get into a green fox suit and squat down and come into the scene.

Q: What's it like being a teen heartthrob?

Skandar: [Laughing] After school, I was hanging out with these girls and there's one I've never seen before. So she runs up to me and tells me I'm in Teen Vogue. And I'm like, "Yeah, that's me." I'm thinking, this is the way to live. And she goes, "So you must know Will."

William: That's a little harsh.

Skandar: Will loves it.

William: I don't think we can prepare ourselves. We take every minute as it comes. Skandar will ground me.

Q: Who's your favorite actress?

Georgie: Kate Winslet, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts.

William: Jessica Alba.

Skandar: Judi Dench.

[William laughs]

Skandar: The question isn't, which actress do you have a crush on, Will. It's which actress is your favorite? Judi Dench. What's wrong with that?




Interview with PRINCE&NARNIAFANS



This Season sees over one of the best loves children’s books, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe made into an exciting new film from Disney. We packed off our resident movie buff, Prince to meet one of the film’s child stars – Skandar Keynes who plays Edmund.

Q: What was your favourite moment making The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?

Skandar: The sense of achievement after doing some of the really difficult scenes was amazing. One of my favourite scenes was when I got chased by the witch’s henchman Grnarrbrik; he had to bring me down by whipping my ankles and he attacked me with a dagger. I had to practise falling down and it was really difficult not to laugh when I was threatened with a dagger!

Q: Who did you get best with out of the cast?

Skandar: Probably William (Peter) just because we can joke about football and other things Anna and Georgie weren’t interested in.

Q: Was it difficult fitting school work in whilst you’re filming? Do you go to a normal school or a stage school?

Skandar: Yes it was difficult fitting school work in – every half hour that I had free I would have to go to the school room. I go to a regular school in London, and I love being with my friends after 6 months of one to one tutoring.

Q: What’s your favourite subject?

Skandar: I like the arts subjects – Art and Design, Drama and English too.

Q: Do you have any pets? Tell us a bit about them…

Skandar: I have two round cuddly cats. They were a ‘welcome home from New Zealand’ present (most of the film was shot in New Zealand – movie hound Prince). They are black and white and called Puss and Boots. Boots is almost all black apart from his white feet, and has a pink nose. Puss has a black nose and is generally greedier: her fur is more white and is very soft. They are brother and sister and are nearly one year old.

Q: If you had a dog what would you call him or her?

Skandar: ‘The Fuzz’ because if I was a dog that is what I would like to be called!!

Q: If you were an animal, what sort of animal do you think you’d be, and why?

Skandar: I would like to be a griffin like the one in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe so I could fly and talk in a really cool voice!

Q: What would be your advice to any budding actors?

 Skandar: Join an acting class and stay positive and determined no matter what.






-2006 Interviews






The Bad Boy Of Narnia - Monterey Herald
It's not easy being Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Three of the four Pevensie siblings are brave, heroic and all-around noble in C.S. Lewis' classic Narnia series. But Edmund causes most of the problems by taking the side of the evil White Witch.

And, ultimately, he makes the biggest change when he repents.

We wanted to know how 14-year-old Skandar Keynes feels about playing Edmund in the film, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." But we figured the best person to ask the questions would be someone who's tackled the part, too.

Eric Kielczewski , 16, of Grand Prairie, Texas, played Edmund at Creative Arts Theatre & School in Arlington, Texas, in April. Skandar called us from his home in London to answer Eric's e-mailed questions.

First, however, we had to know how he felt when he got the role:

"I was on the bus going to school, and it was raining. They said they would call me on Thursday, and it was Friday, so I was down, not feeling too great. My phone rang, and they said, 'You've got the part!' They were yelling at me on the bus, 'Turn off your phone, boy!' so I said, 'Thanks! Bye!' I was cheering inside, though."

ERIC: What was the hardest part of developing the character of Edmund? For me it was making the live audience believe I had changed from evil to good (that and sustaining a British dialect).

SKANDAR: The emotional scenes were hard. I don't usually cry, and that was a challenging thing to do. But once I had done it, it was really rewarding. It is a great feeling doing something that challenges you.

ERIC: How did you film scenes with Aslan (the lion) since he was CGI (computer-generated imagery)?

SKANDAR: I only had one scene with Aslan where I'm nodding at him. I was really nodding at a rock. In scenes with the other kids, Andrew (Andrew Adamson, the director) and his assistants would act out Aslan's lines dressed up in green suits so they could be edited out.

ERIC: Did you sometimes feel guilty playing such a rotten kid? I wonder if people on the street will treat you as if you're a spoiled child now that the movie has been released.

SKANDAR: I hope not. I think it's fun to play the evil character. Besides, he gets redeemed.

ERIC: They say actors are cast because the director sees a part of them in the character. How are you like Edmund?

SKANDAR: I could not be denied my mischievous fun on set. Every day I would sneak up behind our producer and stab him in the stomach. He would jump up and chase me yelling, "Skandar!" It was so funny. Also, I was brought in at the last minute. The others had known each other for a year and a half. I was on edge, I was nervous. That helped me with the character.

ERIC: Did everyone in the cast get along, especially the kids who played the four siblings?

SKANDAR: We had great fun. I remember Will (William Moseley plays Edmund's older brother, Peter) saying if one hadn't fit in with the group it would have been awful.

ERIC: How long did it take to shoot the film?

SKANDAR: Six months. We shot it while I was 12, and I turned 13 halfway through the shoot. I grew 6½ inches. They had to keep re-doing and re-doing my armor.

ERIC: How did your friends at school handle you being in the film?

SKANDAR: I've got one friend that's very excited, and every time we go anywhere and see this massive billboard of me, he'll say, "Skandar, look, there you are!" It's a blessing and a curse. I'm thinking of going to school at 2 in the morning so no one notices me.

ERIC: What advice would you give young actors like myself on "making it" to the big screen?

SKANDAR: Stay with it. I've been up for loads of auditions when I didn't get the part. Relax, calm down and be yourself. If you don't get a part, it's not the end of the world. Even after I came back, I went up for six auditions and everyone decided I didn't look right for the films. There's a lot of rejection, so be cool with it.


 Exclusive Interview With Skandar - Narnia Fans
Our very own moderator ~Rogue~ arranged an interview with Skandar Keynes, the actor that played the role of Edmund Pevensie in the latest version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He is currently also signed to pick this role back up, when Prince Caspian starts filming toward the end of this year.
1.What is the significance of the necklace you always wear?
Oh that! Tilda Swinton gave me that in New Zealand and it’s a greenstone and it’s got like engravings on it which means strength and overcoming life’s difficulties and challenges. Oh and you can’t buy yourself one, you have to get someone else to get you one so Tilda gave it to me.
2.What’s your favourite band?
Urm Queen, Outkast, lots of soundtracks, I really love soundtracks oh and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
3.What’s your favourite colour?
Favourite colour? Urm sometimes blue, yeah sometimes blue, yeah mainly blue!
4.Why were you wearing that purple glove at the Tokyo press conference?
Ah! That glove. (dratted inaudiable bit here – something about chums is all I got). Yeah that conference was the most nerve racking thing I’ve ever done. IF you stand in front of 7,000 people it’s not as bad as that one because there were so many people flashing their cameras and I was like Ahh crap! So yeah...
5.Have you ever met a fangirl and had a personal conversation with her?
Well urm yeh. The last time I spoke to some was like these 3 girls around London. They come and talk to me and I’m always like Ahh and they come over to me and they’re like really cool. And urm yeah they come to my house a lot which is sometimes very odd but yeh, I have conversations with them.
6.Would you like to be an only child or do you prefer to have siblings like you did in Narnia and have in real life?
I prefer siblings….sister..and when you’re like adults and there’s like someone to have other than just being by yourself. And it was quite cool on the set to have like everyone there.
7.When did you get your braces on? And what colours do you usually wear?
Urm well I got my braces on about a year ago on Wednesday and I may be getting them off on Wednesday. I can’t wait. At first I tried colours and then I just didn’t because they attract more attention to your braces. Grey is cool.
8.What did you have written on your hand at the Empire Awards on last Monday?
Urm, hang on I think I’ve still got it on my hand. Urm they’re notes, saying I have Mufti Day and doodling. I’ve actually got my name graffitied on my arm!
9.How many pairs of Converse do you own?
I had the originals, they were my black ones and then they got too old so I spray painted them blue. So I bought another pair and then I’ve got the red pair and then I’ve got these Converse trainers which are kinda like fake Converse and at the moment they’re replacing my normal games kit cos I lost my actual trainers. I always wear the red like never! I’ve worn them twice.
10.What kind of soap do you use?
Soap? I’m just going to have a look. Body shop, my sisters telling me! That’s the bar of soap you find on my sink. I use soap but I’m not like expert on soap. Sorry.
11.What’s your favourite type of cheese?
Oo cheese! It’s cool. I like blue cheese, Brie, urm I like cheddar, stilton, yeah Stilton’s good. Oh and with everyone’s name after it you say cheese. So it’s like Nick Cheese and Gordan Cheese and everyone...
12.Do you think Blue M&Ms taste better than the others?
I’m really big on Smarties and Orange smarties they taste the best.
13.When you start shaving, will you use an electric razor or a regular one?
Urm, I actually tried shaving once and used just like a normal razor blade and cut off half my lip and damaged all my skin and it hurt for like 5 days because I didn’t use shaving cream or anything. Won’t be trying that again but I don’t know. Will uses an electric razor, he was like showing off with it in the make-up tent.
14.Boxers or Briefs?
Urm Boxers.
15.What do you think about at 1.20am?
If I’m at a sleepover, I’m probably calculating how much sleep I’m going to have or just thinking things generally, boring things.
16.Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have two cats, kittens, they’re like a year old and ones called Puss and one’s called Boots.
17.What shampoo do you use?
Oh I don’t know what it’s called. It’s like this yellow orangey one. And it’s just there, in the cupboard. Oh here we go, Citrus Shine.
18.Do you use Lynx or anything like that? (actual question, what do you smell like...)
I did have a bottle but it’s so bad because all of my friends come round and start spraying it all in my room and then I get a lecture and yeah so it always get used up but yeah I have a Lynx thingy.
19.Do you have a middle name?
Yes, can’t remember which way it goes round. Ok it’s Skandar Amin Casper Keynes.
20.Does Anna have Myspace?
Urm I don’t know. I used to have one but I couldn’t get people to leave me alone so I stopped.
21.How do you deal with all the crazy fan girls you have?
Some else does it not me. Sometimes they come to London and try and see me and my friends are like no it’s not him and sometimes they are like yeah it is him! And shouting.
22.Oh and the inevitable, do you have girlfriend/what’s you love life like?
Urm at this moment and like recently, non existent. But things could change you know but I just like ended something.
23.Why do you hate hugs?
I don’t hate hugs! It’s because Will, when he hugs you, tries to suffocate you. He starts squeezing so hard and it’s like OMG. And Anna, she’s like dead patronising, it’s like urgh. And then Georgie is like ah give me a hug. And it’s like OK! And with Andrew all of his long hair sort of gets in the way.
24.Is it true you sleep with a teddy bear?
No! I don’t have any sort of stuff animals in my room. I have some cool stuff but not animals.
25.What’s your favourite TV show?
Family Guy. Yeah it’s amazing. I have all the series on DVD and they’re making a fourth. Yeah Family Guy and Scrubs. Me and my friends are always quoting Scrubs!
26.Where would be your ideal place to live?
Some really cool place in the Pacific Ocean or the South of France or Spain. Somewhere hot and by a beach. The thing about England is it’s always rainy and cold.
27.Who is your celebrity crush?
Urm, Jessica Alba is pretty cool. I dunno. I don’t obsess about celebrities like some of my friends do.
28.Do you have a religion and if so what is it?
I am an Athiest. I know the films really Christian and everything but it doesn’t really affect me. Oh and you know I’m related to Charles Darwin.
29.What’s your favourite meal?
Nandos! Nandos is like amazing. And Chinese. And then you’ve got pizza! Urm I’m a fan of Indian food but not like an amazingly big fan. Oh and last one fish and chips.
30.Can you give us some prank ideas?
Attacking people from behind when they’re not expecting it! Everytime I go to a friends house and if they haven’t realised I was coming, I walk up behind them and it’s all silent and then they will actually jump a mile. Really. They freak out. Oh and have as much fun as you can in Art with paint. That’s my bit of advice. Just don’t go spreading it on other people’s work. That never really works out too well. It’s fun to chuck it on each other.
31.How tall are you?
I am 5”5 ½, 5”6!
32.Have you worn this T-shirt? everything that she said really in blue
Oh T-shirt woman! What does it mean?! It has something written on it but it’s really confusing I have no idea what it’s on about. Yeah I’ve got and I’ve worn cos you need a white t-shirt.
33. Have you ever been to Finland?
URm no. Sorry. I’ve never been to Finland.
34. Are you going to Memphis next week?
Am I? I should probably check that. I may be now! Don’t think so but it may be a satellite one



 Narnia Was Like A Dream Come True - Girl Talk Magazine
So who do you all play in the film?

Anna:
We're all brothers and sisters, I'm Susan who doesn't believe in Narnia.
Skandar: I'm Edmund, the outcast who's caught by the White Witch.
Georgie: I'm Lucy, the youngest, but she's also the bravest.
Will: Peter's the one trying to look after everyone, which is hard when one runs off to Narnia!

Okay, time to tell us who has the worst habits!

Anna: Will shouts a lot and Skandar is plain cheeky!
Georgie: Skandar drinks loads of coke, then he gets really hyperactive. It's funny!
Skandar: Georgie always sucks her thumb and Anna kept correcting my grammar!
Will: The girls' worst habit was they were always right!

Who was the most naughty?

Georgie:
Skandar was always up to no good, getting into trouble!
Will: Well, Georgie always said what she felt, whether it was good or bad. That was definitely cheeky!

What was the best thing about the movie?

Georgie:
Narnia was a dream true! I loved filming it and being part of something so magical.
Anna: Everything but the wrap party at the end was excellent, I cried my eyes out!

Can you reveal any secrets?

Anna:
Will sleeps with his toy badger still. He's going to hate me for telling Girl Talk that! And Skandar's addicted to PlayStation.
Georgie: Anna's super, super clever. She got loads of As in her exams!
Will: Georgie writes really amazing stories, she could get a job on GT!

What's your funniest memory?

Anna:
I'm so scared of mice, my stunt double had to do my mice scene!
Georgie: When we had to run from the White Witch, Will was holding my hand but his legs are so much longer, I couldn't keep up and kept falling over!



- 2007 Interviews


Prince Caspian Set Report With Skandar Keynes -  Narnia Fans & Coming Soon
Aslan's How - As we made our way past the crew, I passed someone who I thought for sure was Skandar Keynes (Edmund). But when I saw him later, it turned out to be his double (they did a good job casting that part). "Lets roll please, rolling!" K.C. Hodenfield, 1st AD, called out. "And action!" Adamson called. All the Narnian extras - many wearing blue pants - started cheering.

William Moseley and Skandar Keynes emerged from Aslan's How. The whole thing would've looked very dramatic if "Eye of the Tiger" had not been playing in the background. I couldn't help but smile at the unlikely combination of Narnia and a hit song from the 80s. I heard that song on the radio the other day, and I just burst out laughing. I can't hear it without thinking about this scene. After seeing that, it'll be interesting to finally see this scene in theaters with Harry Gregson-Williams' music. One of the writers joked that there should be an optional audio track on the DVD that allows you to watch the movie with the on-set music. If that wasn't funny enough, during one of the takes, William took out his sword and accidentally poked Skandar's leg (hopefully it'll be on the DVD).

But anyway, in between takes, as the crew waited for the sun to return, Ernie Malik managed to get Skandar Keynes to come over to us for a few minutes. (Ernie was amazing at getting interviews even when everyone was really busy). Skandar was in full armor, which looked almost exactly like his armor from the first film, except with less chain mail and no helmet.

Q: So what's it like to come back for a second time around?

Skandar: It's been really cool. It's been really great to see everyone again and like, reuniting the family, to be very cheesy. Yeah, it's been great here in the middle of nowhere, it's beautiful. And what we're doing is really cool, we're like walking out [of Aslan's How] and everyone is [cheering]. So I'm having a good time.

Q: So in the movie, Edmund is only a year older. But you're actually a few years older?

Skandar: Yeah, I was 12 when I started the first film and I'm 15 now. I'll be 16 at the end of the shoot.

Q: I remember last time they had problems with you growing too much…

Skandar: Yeah, I grew 6 inches in 6 months. I felt growing pains last night actually. (laughter)

Q: The costume department said they have a computer program now to determine the patterns and how to make the costumes fit as you guys grow and keep them consistent.

Skandar: I had the chainmail, and I kept growing. And it's precise enough that if I grew, it would completely change underneath.

Q: Did you wear chainmail in the last movie too?

Skandar: Yeah, I'm actually wearing a lot less now.

Q: I bet you wish you were wearing it now after getting stabbed in the leg. (laughter)

Skandar: Oh yeah, [Will] totally just stabbed my leg! He draws his sword and then moves it back but as he moved it back it went "bang" on my leg. Just went right on my boot!

Q: Do you get to do more sword fighting in this movie than the first movie?

Skandar: Yeah a lot more which is good and I've got to do a bit more today. And I'm doing lots of training.

Q: How is the castle raid, do you have a big scene in it?

Skandar: I was already in it. I was on days while they were on nights, so I was kinda laughing at them (laughter). I do have a thing at the top but we are going to do that on a stage, because it would've been dangerous to do it [on the set] because it was so high up., and if anything had gone wrong, I could've like…died.

Q: So they're going to save that to the very end just in case.

Skandar: Yeah (laughter)

Q: What are your big scenes in this one?

Skandar: I have a scene when Will's in a fight…

(Here, Ernie whispers something in Skandar's ear, probably telling him not to give something away) (laughter)

Skandar (cont): Um, me and Will have a lot of little moments in this film. And then, I have big fights, which is good, that are scattered around the film.

Q: You're one of the few that gets to go on to the next movie, have you met with Mike Apted yet?

Skandar: Yeah, I had dinner with him, he was very cool. It all seems good.

Q: Did you drill him, test him to see if he knows his Narnia stuff?

Skandar: Yeah, we talked about Narnia a bit but the problem with the next film is I've got to do my GCSEs just around the middle and if they don't let me do them, my school won't let me come out here, so, I'll have to take like a month off or so.

Q: So you'll go back to school and then you'll turn around and come back for the next one?

Skandar: Well no, I think there will be some time before they go straight ahead, they are in pre-production now. So I'll go to school and then come back whenever they are ready.

Q: Can you talk about the unique style of the music playing while you are shooting a scene?

Skandar: Yeah, we like to play Rocky or just anything that has a cool beat. It feels so good walking down and they're all cheering…we are trying so hard not to crack up, but it's so hard. (laughter) During the epic battles there's a rule. When a song is played you have to wait until the end to try and get your iPod in there.

Q: Are your musical tastes that different?

Skandar: No, we are pretty much the same, he doesn't like some of mine and I don't like some of his so there's just minor differences… but mostly cool. The first couple of takes I was cracking up so it wasn't that great, but it was getting to me and it felt really cool.

Q: Was that something just for this movie, Andrew just decided to use music to get the mood out?

Skandar: Yeah, it was a couple of weeks ago, everyone was sitting around waiting on the sun and we realized we could put music on so we did and now we use it.

Q: Can you talk about working with Andrew on this one, what type of preparation did he have you do that was different from the first film, obviously you're older…

Skandar: We've done lots of rehearsals and I've done more horse riding. I've done more sword fighting and it's been a bit more intense this time.

Q: How's Prague been for you?

Skandar: Prague has been great, so yeah, everything is pretty cool in Prague.

Ernie Malik: You haven't told them what you have been doing with your downtime…

Skandar: Yeah, down in New Zealand I did a bunch of jumps. I jumped off the Nevis which is the third highest point in the world, I did this one jump that was nearly 400 meters in the air and I did the Shotover Canyon Swing which is the biggest swing in the world. I jumped off the Sky Tower, which is the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere. And I did some jumps from a jet, so those were cool.

Q: Is this driving the producers crazy?

Skandar: Yeah, every time…I have all the videos as well.

Q: Is there a lot of sitting around waiting on the set?

Skandar: Not that much. There could be more, but there could be less.

Q: Do you go to do school here too?

Skandar: Yeah, three hours a day, I've got my GCSEs so I've got exams this week.

Q: Coming back for the second time, what's it like to have a lot more adults in the cast?

Skandar: Everyone matured a lot more and we weren't as silly as before, we didn't mess around as much…

Ernie Malik: That's a matter of opinion. (laughter)

Skandar: Everything has been really cool. We're kind of approaching it completely differently, and a bit more professional than last time.

Q: So this film is a little bit darker than the first one?

Skandar: Uh yeah, there are some darker scenes. There are a lot of scenes that happen at night (laughter). No, yeah, there are some darker scenes, there are some evil people, and some evil moments.

(We hear K.C. shout "Scene coming up!")

Ernie Malik: You'd better get back to work now



Prince Caspian
Wednesday, 04/30/2008



When did filming end?
1 September 2007 and I went back to school three days later.

How did the new members of the cast fit in?
Fine. The more the merrier - we became friends from day 1. It was great because we could draw from their experience.

How much training did you do for the sword fighting?
I worked with Allan Poppleton, the Stunt Coordinator and his very experienced team throughout the shoot improving skills I had started learning on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was all swordwork and no excercise regime and practice was intense just bfore shooting the scenes.

Are the swords you use for the 'war' real?
Sometimes they are and other times they aren't.

Did you get to keep the sword you used?
 No.

What was the most alarming stunt?
The most alarming scene was when I go down the roof and kick a Telmarine. I literally had to slide down the roof of the tower they had constructed inside a studio in Prague and by some miracle they allowed me to hold the camera for the point point of view shot as I went down. I did it three times and everyone was happy!

Tell us about your scene in the rowing boat at the beginning of the film.
It was on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand and was the most beautiful location we went to. The colour of the water was amazing as the riverbed was of greenstone. It was very secluded and we reached it by helicopter. We filmed it really quickly.

What about the scene when you were dropped on the tower by the griffin?
It was a night shoot. I had to wear a harness and was strung up about fifty feet above ground and about fifty feet from the tower. A pulley mechanism operated by some men on the ground pulled me towards the tower where I had to land at some speed.

The challenge scene: you were in the Ferrari film with Sergio and Pierfrancesco - how was it to be with them again?
It was great fun as it was one of my biggest scens. I watched everything very carefully and tried to learn from their vast experience as actors.

How did you feel about finishing off The White Witch?
Good. In the trailer they made it look as if it was Susan but it was me!

What was it like working with CGI (Computer Generated Images)?
I didn't have much to do with CGI as there are many more humans in the film and we were on location a lot more.

What did you enjoy most in New Zealand?
Being with all the friends I had made on the first film and Bungy Jumping and all the other extreme sports I indulged in with William. On the last day of filming in Auckland we rushed to jump off the Sky Tower as we were leaving New Zealand the next day.

 Is New Zealand as beautiful as it appears on screen?
Even more so


 Edmund Interviews Philip the Horse about Prince Caspian
Wednesday, 11/05/2008


                                 
1.     How about that part in Prince Caspian that you were hoping for?

Yeah, it didn't work out like I had planned. I was really excited about the
possibility. I had spent hours working on my Spanish accent, but it just
didn't pan out. I was pretty depressed there for a while, but I feel much
better now. It really came down to a Visa issue more than anything.
Transporting me from New Zealand to Prague would have put a lot of strain on
the production staff and apparently they had a great Spanish horse trainer
right there in Europe. (Sigh....) It's ok though really. I'm working really
hard here on commercials and print ads. I keep busy.

2.     Assuming you have seen the film, what did you think? If you haven¹t
seen the film, why not?

I got to see a great deal of the film until that pesky old theatre manager
found me and kicked me out. Is it my fault they don't have as many drive-ins
as they used to? Anyway, the parts I did get to see were very exciting. I
was particularly impressed with some of the stunt riding that William
Moseley did in that castle raid scene. How he ran alongside his steed and
did the leap up onto him? After watching that, I was inspired to try a few
tricks myself with one of the handlers here at the ranch. Needless to say,
it didn't go so well. But the doctors say he should be able to walk again
after a few months of therapy... so all is well.

3.     What did you think of Reepicheep ?

I have mixed feelings about that whole Reepicheep character. I mean, he was
a good actor, sure. And you can't deny that he's solidified his mice fan
base all across the globe. But, I think he and his fans have taken it a
little too far. Before the movie came out, the mice did what they were
supposed to do -  run when they see you, scatter, hide... Well now when I
come into my stall to bed down for the night, they don't even move. They
just sit there with their playing cards and junk food! It's crazy, I
literally have to ask them to leave my space so I can get my beauty rest. I
try my best to be diplomatic, but how much insolence can one horse take? Oh,
and get this, they claim there's a revolution coming. A mice re-awakening.
Whatever.

4.     And those Griffins? It was a blast riding my griffin. I bet you
wished you had wings!

Wings? Um, no. That's so 1200 BC.


5.     We hear there are lots of films being made in New Zealand at the
moment. Any approaches?

Like I said, I keep busy. There are a few projects I've been asked to do,
but I'm not at liberty to say at this time. (Contractural stuff.) I will say
that in my spare time I've been getting into teaching. I think it's
important for up and coming talent to train properly for on-camera work. I
have a class of about 15 foals who are just starting to come into their own.
I have great hope for them. We're all holding out for a western, but that
looks unlikely here in New Zealand. Hooves crossed.

6.     Are you going to have a go at a part in Voyage of The Dawn Treader?

Well, wouldn't that be fantastic? As I've mentioned before in previous
interviews, I am quite a fabulous swimmer. I hear Dawn Treader takes place
mostly on a boat, but maybe they'll have a few seahorses that I can audition
for? I'm ok with wearing prosthetic make-up if I have to, and I can
manipulate my spine in several unique ways.

7.     Know any good seahorses for the film?

We're not allowed to officially communicate with that branch of our breed,
but I personally don't have anything against them. I feel it's only fair to
warn you though, I've heard they're quite temperamental, often late and have
their own ‘agendas’.  I'm not trying to say anything bad about them, but
they don't have nearly the experience we 4-leggeds have. I mean, when is the
last time you saw a seahorse in a movie? Mr. Limpet? (heee hawww)

8.     Still into carrots? Just asking as I am hoping to visit you one day and look forward to a great reunion meal.

Carrot cake, Carrot soup, Carrot juice.. whatever and wherever to have a
reunion with you. I hope you've got your saddle legs, because we've got a
lot of stunt work to try!


 Interview with Lebanese Journalist Ronith Daher on release of Voyage of The Dawn Treader in Lebanon
Sunday, 03/20/2011

How would you introduce yourself?
My name is Skandar Keynes. I have a Lebanese mother and a British father. Between the ages of 12 and 19 I acted in three films as part of The Chronicles of Narnia series, and I'm currently studying Arabic and Middle Eastern History at the University of Cambridge.

You are English or an English citizen with a Lebanese mother. What does this mean to you?
My Lebanese heritage is very important to me and I feel very attached to Lebanon having spent a lot of time there on an almost yearly basis for as long as I can remember. However, as you rightly put it, I only have British citizenship and would hope that one day I will be able to attain dual citizenship. At the same time however, I'm still attached to my English roots and that side of my family and see no contradiction between this and my affinity towards my Lebanese heritage.

Are you learning the Arabic language?
Well I'm currently studying it at university because despite the odd words I picked up from being there in my summers, I haven't learnt it properly up until now. I'm really excited to become fluent and confident that I will be able to speak properly. My vocabulary up until this point has mainly been basic words you hear thrown around every day, but my knowledge of grammar and any words that aren't spoken on a daily basis is severely limited. filling in these rather large gaps has proved to be a really rewarding exercise so far.

How were you chosen for the films?
I was really in the right place at the right time. I attended a small acting class after school on Thursdays, which was basically for a bit of fun, and a casting agent walked into one of the classes and realised that I looked about right for the part and that I'd fit well with the others who they'd already chosen.

Would you like to be an actor in the future?
At the moment I'm focusing on my degree which I'm really enjoying so far and I'm not going to do anything that might jeopardise that. In four years when I'm finished I'll see how I feel and what I want to do then but it's really too early to be saying exactly what I want to do as a career in my life when I still have four years of university ahead of me.

How do you feel about the film being shown in Lebanon?
I think it's great! One of my favourite moments of the whole Narnian experience was seeing the second film being shown in Lebanon. I know it's a relatively small market when you compare it to the rest of the world but it still means a lot to me.

How do you assess the film? And do you think it is directed at kids only?
I was really happy with the final product the first time I saw it and think that everybody did a great job in bringing this film together, especially after we had so many problems along the way with Disney pulling out at one point. I do think that fundamentally this is a children's film but I don't think that has to mean that only kids can enjoy it. It's meant for the whole family and the child inside all of us. If an adult approaches it as a children's film and a bit of fun there's no reason why they can't enjoy it too. With that said, there are also many undercurrants throughout the film and the whole series that are aimed more at adults and which the kids won't pick up.

Do you think the lesson learned of the movie is the conflict between good and evil?
I think that the conflict between good and evil is definitely a key theme in this film in a very raw form. However, I believe the lesson learnt from this film isn't so much that it's inevitable that good will defeat evil, but that it requires strength of character to overcome personal temptations and triumph over evil, and that this is by no means an inevitability simply because it's what is right.

Is it true that you don't like to appear frequently in the media? Are you in general shy?
It's not that I'm particularly shy but I just don't like the idea of publicising myself as a 'celebrity'. I don't really enjoy being recognized and I feel that putting my face out there inevitably leads to people bugging me more that I want. I mean I know that this is all rather silly considering I'm an actor in a big budget film but I don't see why I can't be a part of that and relish the challenge of acting and being a part of that team working towards the final product. I don't like it when it crosses over to my private life too much, and sometime I feel television leads to that.
What are your ambitions and yor dreams?
Right now my immediate ambitions are to master the Arabic language and to be comfortable in my ability to speak it and succeed in my degree. In terms of dreams though I don't have anything specific because I know that a lot is going to change in my university time and I can't predict how I'm going to feel after four years.


 Edmund Pevensie interviews Philip the Horse
Monday, 01/23/2012



 Lots of fans writing to me are raving about you. So I thought it only fair that your fans should hear your views on all this acting business. I myself don’t like interviews that have more than ten questions so here are my ten questions for you.
  
Where did you take up acting and how do you feel about acting as a profession?
I was found by a talent scout called Sled Reynolds.  Sled’s job is to search out animal actors for the film business.   I never really thought about acting until Sled approached me in a field in Kumeu, New Zealand (I actually thought he was going to ask me directions).  Up until that point, I had a fairly normal horse existence.  Eating hay, running around a paddock – you know, horse stuff.  I must tell you though, acting has now consumed my life.  It’s all I think about.  I could never go back to my old life - pulling a cart or giving kiddies a ride on my back. I’m now an equestrian-thespian!  

What are your favourite films?
 Well, I love all the obvious ones – Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, National Velvet, Seabiscuit, Hidalgo.  But what I really like are comedies.  Skandar and I found out accidentally that we are both huge fans of several of the same movies - Starsky and Hutch, Zoolander, Meet the Parents.  Actually, anything Ben Stiller is in.  

What is your favourite food? 
Love carrots more than anything, but they tend to put a bit of weight on my backside, so I stick to oats, hay and grass. Oh, and the occasional toastie sandwich, an NZ tradition. 

 What is your favourite colour? 
I know this will sound crazy, but I love the color burnt orange. During the filming, the wranglers from Texas got me hooked on American football. I’m now a huge fan of the University of Texas’ football team and that’s their color.  

How do you feel about auditions and how did this one go?
 Like I mentioned before, I was lucky enough to be scouted by Sled. Since then I’ve been on many auditions for films being shot in New Zealand (where I presently live).  It’s a hard road with lots of rejection, but that doesn’t deter me. I recently heard about a film shooting here called “Waterhorse” which really excited me as I’m an avid swimmer, until I found out the waterhorse in the title was the Loch Ness Monster and that would really be a stretch for me to play (even with prosthetic makeup). 

How do you see your part in LWW?  
I think my part in the film brought a “real” voice to horses around the world.  What I mean by that is until this film, we were mainly viewed as beasts of burden - “4x4”s for Cowboys, “Mr. Ed”-like parodies and unicorns. I’m really tired of those guys taking so much thunder away from us.  And aside from all that, I think my comedic timing brought genuine humor to the film! 

How was it working with Andrew Adamson?  
 This being my first professional gig (I did a few high school plays prior) I must say that Andrew was a class act.  He gave me my space to work in and was extremely patient of my “method” style of acting.  I would definitely work with him again and he even hinted that I should audition for Shrek 3 – to replace that annoying donkey. I mean really, a donkey?  They didn’t even start speaking English until a few hundred years ago.  We horses on the other hand have been speaking the Queen’s English for thousands of years!         

Where were you during the battle? 
Sadly, I missed the battle filming as my older sister was giving birth to her first child.  I tried to make it down for the tail end of shooting, but I couldn’t talk anyone into giving me a ride to the location.  I did catch up with the filming unit back at Cair Paravel though.  

What about Skandar as your rider?  
 I must say that I was very nervous when I first met Skandar during rehearsals.  Word around the barn was he was a classically trained British actor and didn’t suffer fools.  I spoke very little our first few days together, but eventually Skandar broke the ice with a great fart joke!  Well, from that moment on, we were pals.  At one point I even pretended to throw him from my back, but I would never let him fall.  I don’t think the Texas wranglers on set liked that too much though!    

What are you doing now? Will you be in Prince Caspian?
 I’ve been practicing my craft, meeting agents and saving up for a trip to Hollywood to audition for pilot season.   I haven’t heard from the Prince Caspian people yet, but it’s still early and maybe Skandar can put in a good word (hint, hint)!