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DISNEY ENTREPRISES "The Young Stars of Narnia"

Apart from Anna [who was in Mansfield Park and The Girl With a Pearl Earring] you are all virtual newcomers. How does it feel having to do interviews all of a sudden?

WILLIAM MOSELEY: Well, it's funny because it's like having an audience to talk about your life and people are actually interested [laughs]. I mean, usually your mother is the only one that really cares!

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters you each play?

WILLIAM MOSELEY: Peter is a lot like me, or I hope so anyway. He strives for what's right. He wants to be the leader. He wants to be recognized. He wants to be supported. But he has a conflict and he goes from being a boy to a man in the film. And it's so ironic because it's only when he stops trying to act the man, that he really becomes a man.

GEORGIE HENLEY: I play Lucy. I'm the youngest. I go into Narnia first.

ANNA POPPLEWELL: Susan's really interesting because at the beginning of the film, she doesn't really believe in this world of Narnia. Everything is very much a matter of black and white and logic for her and I think that her journey is about being allowed to believe and allowed to enjoy her childhood and believe in her imagination. And that is part of the film's message I think: you know, you should believe in magic.

SKANDAR KEYNES: I play Edmund, who's interesting because he falls under the spell of the White Witch.

The film is full of wonderful, fantastic creatures, such as Aslan the Lion [voiced by Liam Neeson], all of whom will be created by computers after the main shooting is finished. What's it like to act opposite thin air?

WILLIAM MOSELEY: Well, we haven't done much with Aslan yet, but yes, we're going to be doing a lot of imagining and guesswork! So much is going to have to be what's in our heads, though the sets are amazing of course and that helps a lot

ANNA POPPLEWELL: Well, yeah, Aslan in particular will be a bit of a challenge. He's obviously going to be an amazing, powerful creature. But it's been really interesting doing the CGI characters, because not having them there almost allows you to play with your own ideas of what they're like. And it's almost easier in a way.

SKANDAR KEYNES: Andrew, the director, has helped me so much and not just with imagining the CGI animals. The other day, when I had to cry on camera, I don't think I would have been able to do it without him. And it wasn't like he hit me or anything [laughs]! We both stepped aside for a minute and we talked about some stuff, stuff that I've had in my life, and it just got me closer to the point I needed to be. In fact, it was a computer-generated fox that I had to look at and suddenly Andrew was there and it was just him talking to me. And I think I really managed to do it.

How about you, Georgie, do you have a favourite among all the amazing animals in the film?

GEORGIE HENLEY: I like Mr and Mrs Beaver best [the characters are voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French]. But I like the whole thing, because the story is set in the past and it's cool because you get to see lots of the costumes that they used to wear, you get to see the houses they used to have and the transport they used to have. It's basically like a whole history lesson in a way. It's fun!

SKANDAR KEYNES: Georgie loves everything! I mean, we have to have tutoring and she even likes that. Anna is the same, which I do not get! So when the lady says, "Okay, it's time for school," they're like, "Yes!" William and me on the other hand, we just groan. I mean, I like the stuff we can do with our time off, like paint balling and go-carting and watching movies. I like anything with Ben Stiller in it. And Shrek.

William, your character does a lot of the heroic stuff in the film, particularly the sword fighting. Have you enjoyed all that physical stuff?

WILLIAM MOSELEY: I love it. I really do. I mean, my mum used to get me out of the house on a Sunday morning as a punishment, but I always thought it was fun, just running wild, climbing trees, whatever. And now I'm doing it in a movie! I ride these beautiful Andalusian horses and do all this sword fighting, which is so well choreographed. And the sword they made is so amazing. It's the same guys that made the armour for The Lord Of The Rings and when you see it... Well, it really does take my breath away every time I hold it.

How about for you, Skandar, has there been a moment that was most special for you so far while making the movie?

SKANDAR KEYNES: Definitely the first time I saw the set for Narnia! They didn't want me to see it before we shot in it, so they blindfolded me. And then I had to take the blindfold off and walk through the scene and act like I was looking for Lucy and the others. And I had to try really hard not to smile because the set is just amazing. I mean, I couldn't believe it. It really is magical.

So who do you think The Chronicles of Narnia is for? Adults or kids?

ANNA POPPLEWELL: Both! For adults, I think it will be a nice escape from the happenings of the real world [laughs]. But I think kids will lose themselves in this amazing fantasy world and will believe the fantasy.

WILLIAM MOSELEY: Oh, I think after seeing this film, even adults will be knocking on the back of their closets and wardrobes to see if Narnia is really there [laughs]!

So did you all love the CS Lewis books before making the film?

SKANDAR KEYNES: Yes, I think we did. I remember reading them when I was eight or nine and I remember thinking they were really good. So, I'm really happy, and I think we all are, to get a once in lifetime chance to be in the movie of the book. I mean, that's a fantastic thing!

And have you given much thought to how all your lives might change once this movie comes out?

GEORGIE HENLEY: I'm going to have the same friends and everything.

SKANDAR KEYNES: My mother is telling people not to praise me too much because then I might get bigheaded. But I really don't think I will, though I think it's pretty cool to be in a movie, especially this one.

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