What does Ben Barnes do for Christmas?

Ben Barnes as the poster-boy Prince Credit: Walden Media

Ben: Actually, I know Rob a bit. He's from very close to where I lived. I used to sing with his sister at school weirdly. We used to do Soul nights. I think it's just about having confidence. The hardest thing is when you first start to do things like this (interviews). I'm not surprised if he was freaked out at Comic Con. It's having confidence that people are asking questions because they want to know the answers not because they're trying to 'get' you. If you can't think of an answer it's okay to say 'I don't know'. You don't have to be interesting and funny all the time. But I'm sure he has a much better handle on it than I do. I wanted to be in that Twilight film but I was too old (geez, he's only in his late 20's). There's no way I could look seventeen for the next three years. Tell Rob hi and good luck for me.

TeenHollywood: We will (and we did!) Are you still recognized and chased by paparazzi?

Ben: At the beginning, I wasn't used to it. I've had a fair bit of it but now, I forget. I go out of my hotel and (see paparazzi) and I'm like 'oh, how did you guys know I was here?'. It still doesn't feel real. It is overwhelming and surreal and there's nothing I can do to change that. I don't feel famous. It's just nonsense. But, it's still very sweet. I still get sackfulls of mail at home. I spent five hours on it the other day. People come up to me. 'I saw you in that film'

Ben Barnes in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." Credit: Walden Media

TeenHollywood: What was the most challenging thing about playing Caspian?

Ben: Probably trying to maintain a faithfulness to the character in the story rather than play some kind of stereotype of a Hollywood action hero which was not what Caspian was to me when I read the books. So to try and inject some of that into the telling of the story.

TeenHollywood: Do you feel that Prince Caspian was your big break?

Ben: People always talk about the concept of a big break but I don't know if it exists. Certainly, if it does, it was Prince Caspian. I was still banging on doors before that and immediately afterwards I was getting some scripts sent to me which is the big change. I think you need lots of big breaks. It's about what you choose to do next. You should invest in the stories that you think are worth telling, and characters you think you can play well.

TeenHollywood: Where did you get that sorta-Spanish accent for Caspian?

 

 

Ben Barnes at the New York premiere of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." Credit: Getty Images

Ben: (laughs) It was a combination of a lot of things. I was in bed, the night before my audition reading the lines to myself over and over again and just before going to sleep, I saw on the very bottom of the page, 'please prepare with a Spanish accent' (laughter). 'Oh God!', right? So I got out of bed and went to my DVD collection and thought 'okay, something with Antonio Banderas (we laugh). Ah, Desperado, brilliant' but it's 'bang!! (he makes crashing and shooting noises) See you later', nothing, just nothing. He doesn't talk. So then I found The Princess Bride which is one of my favorite films and obviously, that is a ridiculous stereotype of an accent (the Inigo Montoya character), but I thought 'it'll do for the audition' so I used that a little bit as my inspiration for the audition but then got a dialogue coach who was fantastic and then a lot of the intonation was my choosing. I wanted it to sound flowing, not like somebody who didn't have a firm grasp of the English language.

TeenHollywood: But, didn't you get asked to change it?

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" on DVD Credit: Walden Media

Ben: A week into shooting, I'd done one dialogue scene and (the director) comes up and says 'you sound very Spanish'. I said 'That's what you asked me to do'. 'Yeah, but I just cast some Italians. Sound a bit like them' (we laugh). So, I watched their audition tapes with the dialogue coach to try to round it out so it sounded more Italian. He cast Italians, Spanish, a Flemish actor, a Mexican and said, 'then do an accent that sounds like them'. 'But, they don't sound like each other', In the end it was just something I felt comfortable with.

TeenHollywood: Who of the cast sat around a table watching the film and doing commentary for the DVD?

Ben: It was the four Pevensies, myself and Andrew the director and we sat on a sofa drinking sodas for the kids and coffees for the adults and we just watched the movie and chatted. I think those commentaries are best when you forget the microphones are there really. Otherwise, the rest of it you can see in a "making of". You want to get people's personal experiences.

TeenHollywood: Is there something that you shot that was cut out of the film and is now on the DVD or any extra features on there that you are happy about?

Ben: Not sure. I haven't watched all of the deleted scenes yet. There were a couple that I was anxious to see. One of the deleted scenes was one of my audition scenes so I was very keen to see how that turned out and wanted to listen to (director) Andrew's commentary on why they were cut out. I think they had good reasons for cutting. It was a long film anyway.

Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." Credit: Walden Media

TeenHollywood: What about bloopers? Anything you are like 'oh my God. Why does that have to be on the DVD'?

Ben: No. (laughs) You've got to be a good sport about that. You've got to let them show you falling over. That's part of it.

TeenHollywood: In "Dawn Treader" will you go anywhere near a real body of water or will it all be CGI or in a tank?

Ben: I have no idea. I imagine it will be water. That is very expensive to fake. They will probably have an infinity tank where you put the ship in and, in the background, will be the real ocean. You put the tank on the beach and film past it. They've been talking about doing it in the same place they did Titanic (Rosarita Beach, Mexico).

TeenHollywood: What is the first time you walked on a stage?

Ben: I think it was a school play called "Mr. Jones Goes to Jupiter" and I played a rock star/alien.

TeenHollywood: Hilarious! What was that like?

 

 

Ben Barnes at our Hollywood sit-down Credit: Lynn Barker

Ben: I was probably a bit nervous but quite enjoyed it when I got up there. I had to make my own guitar out of cardboard and gold foil. That was at about seven or eight. Then I was in a choir until about fourteen. At fifteen your voice breaks and I found myself going toward musical theater; a logical next step. I joined a company called the National Youth Music Theater and the next six summers that's where I got my training and was in the West End in "Bugsy Malone". Most of my friends were in that company. It's the same one that Jamie Bell and Jude Law and Johnny Miller went through. It was a wonderful time.

TeenHollywood: So, what did you do when that was over?

Ben: At sixteen and seventeen, I wanted to leave school and my parents said, 'no, go to University and get a proper job. Be a lawyer'. I said 'I don't want to be a lawyer'. 'Well, go to university'. I spent a couple of years doing more music and TV projects then went to university and came out at about 22 and still couldn't think of anything else to do. I had gained some confidence in theater.

TeenHollywood: Yes, we know that you've done both stage work and film. What about film is difficult for you?

Ben: Film is actually about these tiny moments and everyone is focusing on (them). Every day, like on this film, you need to get just one scene, maybe two. It's a skill that I'm still learning, to be ready when they want you to do that moment. To psych yourself up for that is a real skill. It's all very well doing five weeks rehearsal but it's very difficult when they say 'Ben, we're ready for you to do that moment now'. 'Well, I'm not ready to do that'.

TeenHollywood: How do you choose your projects? You do a lot of period films.

Ben in action mode. Credit: Walden Media

Ben: I've chosen certain scripts because I like the stories and love the language. I love words. I've read a few scripts that are contemporary that are equally valid and I feel could be great films but it just so happens that, at the time I read them, those were the best scripts on offer (to me) and I'll continue to make my decisions like that rather than worry about 'what do you mean he's doing another film set in the 1920's?' It was an interesting time between the two World Wars. It was a fascinating time for young men.

TeenHollywood: Do you have any advice for teens who want to break into the business?

Ben: Usually, I'd say who the hell am I to answer that? It is about luck. It's about being in the right place at the right time but, for young people, I think reading is important because all you have to base your decisions and characters on are black and white words on a page and, if they don't mean anything to you, then what's the point of telling the story?

TeenHollywood: Did the way you grew up inform your acting now?

Ben: Well both my parents are in the field of psychology and psychiatry so a lot of growing up it was "how do you feel about that?" (he laughs) A lot of acting is projected emotion, 'how would I feel if I were (this character) in this situation?' It's hypothetical so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray (with Colin Firth) in "Dorian Gray" Credit: DDA

TeenHollywood: You just finished playing Dorian Gray, right?

Ben: Yeah. The film isn't finished but the shooting is finished. Now they have a lot of work to do in post-production. A lot of the previous adaptations of it were The Portrait of Dorian Gray and about the portrait and what happens to Dorian. Our version is just called Dorian Gray and we're trying to look a little more into the experience of what the character goes through. Originally, people would say that you can't identify with a character who sins and is manipulated so easily and falls into this vortex with no notion of redemption so we teased some of the stuff toward the end to keep it tense. But, essentially, it's a fairly faithful adaptation. In the same way that nobody is going to try to adapt Narnia or Lord of the Rings in the next fifty years, I'm hoping after they see this, nobody is going to want to touch Dorian Gray either. Who knows?

TeenHollywood: For those not familiar with the classic novel or early films, what is the story?

Ben Barnes Credit: Getty Images

Ben: It's quite a rock and roll story actually. It's about this guy whose parents have been killed and he's been raised by an abusive grandfather and he dies and the guy comes to town naive, innocent and gets completely corrupted but is completely adored from the moment he sets foot in London and that kind of just grows. It's a great character arc to play; a naive young guy, who has been abused, turns into this guy who realizes the power of his looks and the power of being 21. Then he becomes very dry and cynical and starts doing these awful things and realizes he can get away with it. Then he becomes very depressed and inward and starts drinking etc. It's a swooping arc and I'm hoping that will be clear in our version. He's letting himself get carried away. I learned a lot from playing Dorian. I had to do things I'd never done before in real life. It's such a terrific story.

TeenHollywood: We can't wait for that.  

 http://www.teenhollywood.com/default.as

 

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia Exhibition premiered in Phoenix earlier this year and is opening at The Franklin in Philadelphia on November 28, 2008. If you are in the Philadelphia area you'll want to make sure to see this incredible exhibit with props from the film and much more.

As part of the promotion for this opening, our faithful NarniaWeb podcaster Rilian had a chance to talk with Ben Barnes in an exclusive interview. They discussed the transition of Caspian's character from Prince to King, as well as some of Ben's other recent work.




Q: I wanted to let you know that one of your quotes, "They know everything on NarniaWeb" is one of the more popular signatures now.
A: (laughs) Oh really? Well they do!

Q: So, 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is coming up. What is the status there? Have you met with Michael Apted?
A: I have. I met Michael on the set of 'Caspian'; Georgie, Skandar and I and Michael went for some dinner. And I've met with him a couple of times since on some trips to LA. But I am probably just in the dark as you are; I haven't seen a script. I have read the book more than once. But I don't know any direction particularly that they're gonna go in terms of threading the story together. I think it's my favorite book of the series.

Q: Likewise.
A: I think it's principally because when I was younger, you know, you're reading them and it's a very episodic story. They go from island to island and they have this sort of fantastical mythology to it, and some of it feels very Greek. And I think you can read a chapter and it's kind of satisfying, unlike some of the other books where you want to keep going. So I think it harks from that, for me anyway, from reading them when I was younger. I do love the mythology of that particular story, and I'd love to get started on it, but my best guess is sort of early summer for shooting it. But who knows? They're still talking about Mexico for the shoot as well, but again I can't confirm any of that. That's just what I'm hearing.

Q: What do you think is going to happen to the character of Caspian? He's a little older, he is no longer Prince Caspian — he is now King Caspian.
A: Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to that actually. I haven't reprised a role before. The first conversation with Michael Apted was a few days before we shot the scene on the riverbank at the end of 'Caspian' where Aslan says, "Rise Kings and Queens of Narnia, all of you" and I say "I don't think I'm ready yet." Which for me is almost a kind of cliffhanger moment. You know, it's not as cheesy as some of the sequels like in Indiana Jones where Shia Labeouf almost puts Indy's hat on. But you know, it's almost that, isn't it? He kind of says, "I don't think I'm ready to be a leader; I'm not ready to be a king; I don't want that responsibility." And lo and behold we flash-forward a few years. You probably know better than me; I know it's a year on Earth but do you know how many years it is in Narnia?

Q: It's three years.
A: Three years, okay. So we flash-forward three years. But three years, if you've been ruling a country and you've been a leader of your people, is a long time in terms of growing up. So it will be interesting to revisit that and see how he has changed. And I think probably, in terms of adaptation from a book to a script, 'Dawn Treader' is quite difficult because it is episodic like that; I think it's difficult to find a movie-like through-line. I imagine they'll probably use Caspian in that kind of journey of self-discovery as it were, still trying to work out who he is and what his heritage is.

Q: Obviously you've got to play the script Caspian, but you also have the book. You even did 'Dorian Gray' where you've got another book character you're playing. What do you pull from the book versus the script? Do you sort of blend it?
A: Well, I was very keen to try to be as faithful to the books as possible because they were a part of my growing up. And, there are always gonna be outspoken voices who want you to play more of a kind of stereotype of a Disney prince, and I sometimes felt myself having to work against that. And then the poster comes out with you kind of looking stern and aiming a sword at the camera, and you feel sometimes that it might feel slightly incongruous with the character of Caspian in the story. But you know, obviously these films are also being made for people who don't know the story and don't love the books as much as you or I do. So I can definitely understand it. Hopefully in the next one, I can be as close to my interpretation of the character in the book as possible, but the beauty is that it's different for everybody.

Q: I just read Dorian Gray for one of my tutorials, so I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.
A: Yeah, I read it in my teens. Actually for a lot of people, it's the first book they ever read themselves. It's something I think it's in our psyche. I was watching an episode of 'Family Guy' recently where Stewie says, "Somewhere there's a picture of you in an attic and it's getting really pretty." They just take the kind of themes of it and mess about with it, which I think is very interesting. There's a ballet of 'Dorian Gray' in the West End recently. So it's something that's very much in the psyche at the moment with a sort of celebrity- and youth-obsessed culture.

Q: What are you looking forward to most with 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader'? It's going to be pretty different; you're no longer going to be working with William and Anna, but apparently Peter Dinklage might be involved again.
A: Well, I hope so. I know he doesn't play any part at all in the book, but I think he was such an instantly beloved character from 'Caspian,' I think it would be nice to have Trumpkin come at least part of the way of the voyage with them. I'm sure that for a lot of the people on your website, that would be entirely sacrilegious. But, I love having Peter on set, so I have to admit I'd be a fan of that.

Q: Well, I'm more concerned about themes than the details, so if I felt that the themes weren't compromised then I might not have such a problem with it.
A: Oh good, well okay, I'm with you. So, what would be the most important themes for you to bring out in the 'Dawn Treader' movie?

Q: Well, I've been trying to articulate that because with 'Prince Caspian' I thought of redemption and a return to truth, but with 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' I think it's largely journey and discovery. In the book, you even have Lucy discovering more about herself with the book that she finds in Coriakin's room.
A: Yeah, I love that bit.

Q: And I think Caspian goes on quite a journey, especially towards the end of the book. I've been trying to think about that. What do you think? What themes do you think are really important in the book that need to come through in the movie?
A: Well, like you I find it difficult to articulate because it's more like the first film but with less symbolism. Obviously at the end, you've got the themes of sacrifice. But also you've got, as you say, journey about discovery about each other and about themselves. And again, having faith in something that's bigger than the tasks at hand. But, we'll have to see how it works out.

Q: Well, good luck with that and I look forward to seeing 'Dorian Gray' as well. This has been fun talking to you. I actually got to meet Anna Popplewell about two weeks ago because I'm studying here in Oxford temporarily.
A: Oh, so you bumped into her?

Q: (Laughs) It was sort of weird because I saw her at a Starbucks and then I saw her at a theater. She's co-directing plays now.
A: Yeah, she's doing 'A Few Good Men,' right?

Q: Yeah I saw it.
A: How was it?

Q: It was good.
A: Oh, good. Alright, nice to speak to you.

Q: Nice to speak to you Ben, and hopefully speak to you again sometime.
A: Absolutely. Cheers, bye.
                            Интервью Бена Барнса  NarniaWeb Эксклюзив

Состоялась выставка премьера Хроники Нарнии в Фениксе в этом году и открытие во Франклине Филадельфия 28 ноября2008 года  Если вы находитесь в районе Филадельфии то обязательно посетите  эту невероятную выставку с реквизитом из фильмов, и многим другим.

В рамках акции для этого открытия, наша верная * ведущая* NarniaWeb  Rilian имел возможность поговорить с Беном Барнсом в эксклюзивном интервью. Они обсудили переход  характера Каспиана от принца  к королю, а также некоторые другие недавние работы Бена.




Q: Я хотел бы сообщить вам, что один из ваших , сайтов "Они знают все о NarniaWeb" является одним из наиболее популярных , в настоящее время.
: (Смеется)правда?  хорошо

Q: Итак, "Путешествие утреннего путника" .наступает, и каково положение сейчас? Вы встречались с Майклом Апдтем?
: да встречался. Я встретил Майкла на сете "Каспиана"; Джорджи, Скандр я, и Майкл отужинали вместе.. Еще  встречался с ним пару раз, на некоторых поездках в LA. Но я, вероятно, только в темноте, как вы, я еще не видел сценария. Я прочитал эту книгу несколько раз. Но я не знаю,какое направление будет у этой  истории. Но я  думаю, это моя любимая книга из этой серии.

Q: Точно

. A: Я думаю, что преимущественно, потому что, когда я был моложе, я читал  и это - очень эпизодическая история. Они идут от острова,к острову чтобы окружить, и они имеют этот вид фантастической мифологии , и этого  эта часть чувствует себя очень *греческой*. И я думаю, что Вы можете прочитать главу, и получите огромное удовлетворенние , в отличие от некоторых из других книг,  и ты действительно хочешь продолжать ее дальше. Таким образом я думаю, что я пришлушивался ко всему прочитанному когда был моложе. Я действительно люблю мифологию этой  специфической истории, и я хотел бы начать на этом, но мое лучшее предположение -  начала лета для того, чтобы стрелять . Но кто знает?  все еще говорится о Мексике для охоты также, но снова я не могу подтвердить ни одного из этого предположения . Это - только, что я слышу.

Q: Как ты думаешь что происходит с характером Каспиана, ? Он  стал немного старше, он уже не принц Каспиан - он теперь король Каспиан.
A: : Да, я очень с нетерпением жду этого фактически. Я не повторю предыдущюю . Первая беседа с Майклом Аптедом состояла за несколько дней в том до того, как мы снимали сцену на берегу реки в конце 'Каспиана', где Аслан говорит, "Все вы Короли и королевы Нарни " и я говорю, что "я не думаю, что я готов." Этот момент  для меня является почти своего рода моментом кульминации. Вы знаете, это не является столь же дрянным как некоторые  продолжения как например как в Индиане Джонсе, где Шиа Лабардов почти надевает шляпу Инди. Но Вы знаете, это - почти это, не так ли? Он отчасти говорит, "я не думаю, что я готов быть лидером; и я не готов быть королем; я не хочу  нести эту ответственность." И Ло созерцает нас перенесением по времени  на несколько лет. Вы вероятно знаете лучше чем я;, что это - год на Земле, но Вы знаете, сколько лет это в Нарнии?

Это - три года.
A: Три года,. Так мы перенесены по времени  на три года. Но три года, если  были вы управляли страной , и Вы были  бы лидером ваших людей. Таким образом будет интересно повторно посетить, и увидеть изменения произошедшие в ней . И я думаю вероятно, в терминах адаптации от книги до подлинника, ' Путешествие утреннего путника' является весьма трудным, потому что это является эпизодическим как этот; я думаю, что трудно найти подобное через линию кино . Я думаю , что они будут вероятно использовать Каспиана в такой поездке самооткрытия, как это было, все еще пробуя понять, кем он является и, каково его наследие.

Очевидно Вы должны играть настоящего Каспиана,, . тЫ  даже симаешься в  'Дориане Грей', где у тебя совсем  другой книжный характер, что ты берешь из книги а что добавляешь  от себя ? или все смешанно??? ( думаю не очень правильно перевела, но ятолько учусь)
A: Хорошо, я был очень остер, чтобы пробовать быть столь же преданным книгам насколько возможно, потому что они частью моего взросления. И,  и существует своего рода стереотип  принца Диснея, и я иногда чувствовал, что я не смогу сыграть и я несоответствую образу . И затем эмблема выпускает  тебя с  взглядом строгого с  меча направленной на тебя камеры, и ты чувствуешь иногда,  себя  немного несоответственным с характером Каспиана в истории. Но Вы знаете, очевидно эти фильмы также делаются для людей, которые не знают историю и не любят книги  как мы с вами. Таким образом я могу определенно понять это., мы надеемся, что в следующей части, я могу быть как  можно близко к моей интерпретации характера Каспиана и передать всю его ответственность и характер и донести до каждого образ принца

: Q: Я просто прочитал  Дориана Грея в годы учебы  и я ее перечитал потому то она классная .
A: Да, я читал ее в юности. Фактически для большого количества людей, это - первая книга, которую они когда-либо читают самостоятельно. Это - кое-что,  я думаю, что это находится в нашей душе. Я наблюдал эпизод 'Семейного Парня' недавно, где Стюи говорит, " на чердаке,есть картина  и это становится действительно симпатичным." Они только берут вид тем этого и имеют предосудительные отношения с ними, которые я думаю, очень интересны. Есть балет 'Дориан Грей' в Уэст-Энде недавно. Таким образом это - кое-что, что это - очень в душе в настоящее время со своего рода знаменитостью - и завладевшей миром
Чего .Вы с нетерпением ждете больше всего с 'Плаванием утреннего путника'? Ведь фильм  будет довольно другим ; Вы больше не собираетесь работать с Уильямом и Анной, но очевидно Питер Динкладж мог бы быть вовлечен снова.
A: Ну , я надеюсь  что так. Я знаю, что он не играет никакой роли вообще в книге, но я думаю, что он был таким немедленно возлюбленным характером от 'Каспиана', я думаю, что было бы хорошим иметь Trumpkin,  и хотя бы начало путешествия быть с ними. Я уверен, что для большого количества людей на вашем вебсайте, который был бы полностью кощунственным. Но, я хотел видеть  Питера в команде, таким образом я должен признать, что я болельщик этого.
:
Q: Ну, я больше обеспокоен тем, что  подробности, так что если я чувствовал, что темы не были скомпрометированы тогда я может и не иметь таких проблем с ней.
A: Да хорошо  так и ладно, я с тобой. Итак, каковы будут наиболее важные темы для тебя  в " Плавание утреннего путника" ?

Q: Ну, я пытался сформулировать, что, поскольку с "Принц Каспиан" Я думал, искупление и возвращение к истине, но с "Плаванием утреннего путника:" Я думаю, это в основном путешествие и открытие. В этой книгу,  даже Люси открывает больше о себе в книге, что она находится в Coriakin  комнате.
A: Да, я люблю, что бит.

Q: А я думаю, что Каспиан проходит через многое , особенно в конце книги. Я пытался думать об этом. Что  ты думаешь ? Какие темы ты считпаешь, действительно важны в этой книге, которые нужно положить в основу фильма?
: Ну, как тебе  трудно определить, поскольку она больше напоминает первый фильм, но с меньшим символизмом. Очевидно, в конце концов, у вас есть темы  для самопожертвования. Но также у нас  есть, как вы говорите, поездка по поводу открытия друг  друга и себя . И опять, с верой в то, это больше, чем задача. Но мы должны посмотреть, как она работает на самом деле. 

Q: Ну, удачи, и я рассчитываю на то, что" Дориан Грей"будет  . С тобой забавно  разговаривать.  Недавно около двух недель назад я встречался с Анной Поппуелл Popplewell здесь , в Оксфордепросто я учусь здесь временно.
: Ах, так ты столнулся с ней?

Q: (смеется) Это была своего рода странным, потому что я видел ее в Starbucks, и потом я увидел ее в театре. Она  играет сейчас.
A: Да, она делает "Несколько хороших людей," правда?

Q: Да я видел ее.
: Как это было?

Q: Мне было хорошо.
A: Ох, хорошо. Хорошо, приятно поговорить с вами. 

Приятно поговорить с тобой Бен, и мы надеемся поговорить с вами опять.
Ответ: Абсолютно. Cheers,  до свидания!!