Narnia star Ben Barnes, who played fan-favorite Prince Caspian in the 2000s Disney adaptations, has words of advice for the future cast of Greta Gerwig’s remake.
While Barnes has been in the public eye before he starred in The Chronicles of Narnia, he arguably gained recognition for playing Prince Caspian in the second Narnia movie, titled The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He then reprised the role in the third and last installment, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Barnes has since then ventured onto projects including in The Words, The Critic, Sons of Liberty, The Punisher, and Shadow and Bone, among others. Although it has been over a decade already since he last played Prince Caspian, being a part of the franchise was “very special” for him.
What was Ben Barnes advice for the cast of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia remake?
Gerwig’s adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s book series is set to arrive sometime in 2026 and will hit Netflix the same year. In an interview with Collider, Barnes offered his simple advice for the new generation of stars bringing the beloved characters once again to life.
“Advice that I got at the time, which was to just enjoy the adventure. I don’t expect a cast coming into it now as kids to have grown up necessarily with the Narnia books. They may have. But for me, it was very special for that reason. I was stepping into something that I knew from being eight years old, and I really valued and appreciated. One of my skills, as an actor, I think, is to really enjoy the experience of making it, for being in New Zealand or being in Prague and being on these incredible sets and being around incredible people. My best friend in the world, I made on that film,” said Barnes.
He didn’t offer anything about how they should portray the characters. Instead, Barnes told the stars to make the most of their experience and be “present in the moment.”
He added, “They should just enjoy the experience of actually making it. The rest of it will be what it is. It’ll fall into place, or it won’t. It’ll capture people’s hearts and imaginations, or it won’t. So long as you’re present in the moment and giving it your all, then that’s all you can really offer anyway. So, I wouldn’t deign to offer any advice on how to portray the characters or anything.”
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Though the actor admits “there’s not really much for men of [his] age” in the books, he could voice certain characters instead, saying, “I could do a Mr. Tumnus or I could voice Reepicheep the mouse, or something. It’s not a phone call I’ve received yet.”
The Chronicles of Narnia film series also starred William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, and more. Other details about the new Narnia movie remain under wraps.
