Other Titles • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe • The Chronicles of Narnia • more
“What really impressed me about William is that he grew into a young man as we were making the film,” Adamson chimes in. “So, I basically saw William grow from this 15-yearold boy to this young man, this real warrior, just as Peter Pevensie does in Narnia.” Susan Pevensie
For the role of Susan, the beautiful, down-to-earth elder daughter, who tries to be the responsible one during the children’s journey through Narnia, the filmmakers selected the most seasoned cast member among the four children—London-born actress Anna Popplewell, whose credits already include “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “Mansfield Park” and “The Little Vampire.” Popplewell was among the very first performers put on tape by casting director Hall and quickly caught co-producer Douglas Gresham’s attention. “I looked at these kids and immediately picked Anna for Susan,” he says. “She is not only beautiful, she’s also extraordinarily talented, and she brought the role to life in a really original way.”
“In many ways, Anna Popplewell, playing the part of Susan, had the hardest part of the four kids,” producer Mark Johnson continues. “Her character has to be the reasonable, sensible one but Anna presents her in a dynamic way that allows the audience to really feel and comprehend the danger and apprehension that these four children experience in Narnia. It’s a testament to how good Anna’s performance is that we expanded the part of Susan. We gave her more scenes, more dialogue, because Anna made her character so integral to the adventure of the movie.”
Popplewell, who recently turned 17, was very clear on what Susan goes through on an emotional level in Narnia. “Each of the characters in THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE has their own journey, and Susan’s no different,” she says. “Like Peter, she feels the obligation of looking after her younger brother and sister, and it’s something that has made her grow up too fast—being saddled with all that responsibility. When she comes to Narnia, she thinks she’s too grown up to believe in it. But, through this adventure, she becomes more open to the idea of being in this magical land. By the end, it’s changed her for the better and she becomes unafraid of being a child. It’s a real journey for her.”
Young Edmund is the most boisterous and mischievous of the Pevensie family and, once in Narnia, finds himself dangerously tempted to join forces with the White Witch. To portray the playful little rascal who learns to do the right thing, the filmmakers struggled to find the right actor and didn’t discover Skandar Keynes until the very last moment.
“Edmund is probably the most developed character in the book, and he was in some ways the easiest to know what to look for, but the hardest to find,” Adamson comments. “Then along came Skandar and he was really bright, funny, energetic, just full of beans, and very wicked. He had a wonderful darkness in his eyes and was mischievous, sweet and adorable all at the same time. Those were the character traits I really wanted Edmund to have—to be able to pull off this darkness and still be lovable.”
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