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| Georgie Henley |
MOVE over Emma Watson – there’s another stylish young British actress in town, starring in her very own blockbuster movie franchise.
Georgie Henley first sprang to fame as Lucy Pevensie in 2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – the first epic fantasy movie to be adapted from the revered Chronicles of Narnia novels by CS Lewis.
Three years later she was back in the sequel, Prince Caspian.
Now, aged 15, she’s completed the hat-trick with this week’s release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, arguably the most ambitious and far-reaching of the Narnia tales, in which she adds sword-fighting and serpent-repelling to her considerable list of on-screen accomplishments.
The film also shows a new dark side to Lucy’s character, a challenge that Yorkshire-born Henley particularly relished taking on board.
“I was so thrilled about making this film, because this is my absolute favourite Narnia book,” enthuses Henley.
“Lucy has always been regarded as a very good, brave person, but in this book you find out that she is actually human and flawed.
“She does have a dark side like everyone else. The main theme running through this film is temptation. Lucy is definitely tempted and has to overcome her temptations.
“Without giving too much away, she is extremely jealous of her older sister and her sister’s beauty.
“She is also jealous of her sister’s intelligence, because she believes Susan is the apple of her parents’ eye.
“Basically, Lucy thinks that she should be getting more attention.”
The events of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader take place three Narnian years after the preceding novel, Prince Caspian.
While the two elder Pevensie siblings, Peter and Susan, are away, Lucy and Edmund (played by 19-year-old Skandar Keynes) are reluctantly visiting a relative at his home near Cambridge in wartime England, around 1943.
Their greatest challenge is dealing with their annoying cousin Eustace Scrubb, played by 17-year-old Will Poulter. The three young people come across a painting of The Dawn Treader, a majestic sailing vessel whose look was inspired by dragons.
The canvas suddenly comes to life, flooding the room and submerging the teens before transporting them to Narnia’s Eastern Sea, where they are rescued by Caspian the Tenth (Ben Barnes), now King of Narnia, and his crew aboard the Dawn Treader, the very same single-masted ship depicted in the artwork.
Edmund and Lucy are thrilled to be back in the land they once ruled as a High King and Queen.
But Eustace, a newcomer to this world, is much less enthusiastic.
The trio soon learns the reason for Caspian’s voyage east: he is fulfilling an oath to find the seven lost Lords of Telmar, the best friends of his murdered father.
Their journey takes them to five islands, each of which brings the ship’s crew unexpected peril and adventure and each has its own hidden, seductive secret.
Also on board this trip of a lifetime are the warrior mouse called Reepicheep (now voiced by Simon Pegg) and, of course, the children’s ultimate friend and all-powerful protector, the Great Lion Aslan, voiced again by Liam Neeson.
Lewis’ first book set in Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, may be the series’ most famous and popular, but many devotees of the classic stories point to The Voyage of The Dawn Treader as the best of all seven Narnia novels.
“It is certainly one of the most beloved books in the series,” says producer Andrew Adamson.
“The Voyage of The Dawn Treader returns to the wonder, magic, awe and adventure of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Helming the new film is distinguished British director Michael Apted, whose credits include the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, as well as the award-winning hits Gorillas In The Mist and Coal Miner’s Daughter.
Apted says: “The film is about two journeys. One is an adventure through unchartered and dangerous seas, and the other into their own selves as they grow into adulthood.
“Just as they overcome the forces of evil they meet on the journey, so they learn to deal with temptations and, in doing so, find their true character.
“That’s what they learn in Narnia, so at the end of our story they are ready to leave and get on with their lives.
“That’s the universal theme that Lewis presents to us in his book.”
While remaining true to the book’s spirit, the filmmakers made some necessary adjustments to bring Lewis’ story to the screen.
Apted explains: “In the book, the narrative thread revolves around Caspian’s search for seven Lords, but in the film, the quest is for seven swords.
“The threat of the Green Mist, as depicted in our film, isn’t really touched on in the Narnia book The Voyage of The Dawn Treader – though it does appear in a subsequent book.”
One gripping scene on board the ship the Dawn Treader takes place in the traditional stateroom, when Lucy gazes into a tall ornate mirror and instead of seeing herself, she sees the face of her sister Susan.
It is a pivotal moment for the film as well as for Lucy, who has to learn to accept herself before she can grow up.
“Lucy’s storyline is quite hard this time and much more complex to portray,” admits Henley.
“I am not used to playing her like this. She has become a much deeper character. My role in this film is also a lot more physical with more stunt work.
“It has been fun, but takes quite a toll on your body. I did quite a bit of sword fighting which I was really thrilled about.
“But I ended up getting a black eye in one of my fights, so it wasn’t as successful as I wanted it to be. I had to go to A&E, and as well as the black eye I had a huge swelling on one side of my face.
“We had to continue shooting the next day, so they applied a ton of make-up on me, and digitally re-shaped my face. It still ended up looking good on film, so you’d never know, thank heavens.”
All three Narnia films have been central to Henley’s life over the past seven or so years, and have seen her travel to exotic, far-away locations, such as the Gold Coast of Australia for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
“I feel like I’ve two worlds,” she explains. “The first is the world that revolves around life at home in Yorkshire when I am at school with my friends.
“And then there is this world, which is all about films and involves meeting people who I look up to.
“It is very exciting and involves being far away from home. I love both of those worlds equally and one day I would love them to come together, but for now I’m happy for them to be separate.”
As for the comparisons to Harry Potter star Emma Watson, Henley says: “I take that as a massive compliment, because she is so smart.
“But I don’t think I could front a Burberry campaign or anything like that.
“In fact, I don’t think modelling is something that I could contemplate because I love my food too much.”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderis in cinemas now
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