Posted 29 minutes ago"It Was Absolutely Extraordinary": "Narnia" Star William Moseley Looks Back On The Magic Of The Iconic Film, 20 Years LaterTwo decades later, William Moseley reflects on the epic fight scenes, spontaneous moments, and lifelong friendships that made filming The Chronicles of Narnia unforgettable.by Andrew FirrioloBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy stepped through the wardrobe and into the world of Narnia. Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection There are certain childhood movies that stay with you well into adulthood, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of mine. I still find myself rewatching it every few years, and it somehow feels just as magical as the first time.
William Moseley was only 17 when he landed his very first acting role as older brother Peter Pevensie. Twenty years later, it was a true honor to reflect with him on two decades of Narnia. From sword fights with Tilda Swinton to the lifelong friendships he formed on set, here are some incredible memories he shared with me.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Auditioning for Peter took a year and a half. Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection William: I knew of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and I loved the stories. I remember listening to The Silver Chair before I'd go to bed every night when I was a kid. The world C.S. Lewis created, although it was a dangerous world, was always beautiful. It made you feel like you're actually there, which is a very rare thing with stories. The audition process was quite long; it was a year and a half. I auditioned against about 3,000 people, and I was very fortunate to get the part in the end. It was my first role so it was a massive risk for the studio, the director, and producers. As an older brother himself, William felt a connection to Peter. Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection William: I think one reason they cast me was the fact that I really was Peter. Not that I'm a leader of a magical world, but I am the oldest brother of three. I have a younger sister who's Anna's age [Anna Popplewell played Susan]. I also have a younger brother who's Skandar's age [Skandar Keys played Edmund]. I was very attuned to what it was like being an older brother. That really is the crux of the story. If you don't believe the family, you don't believe the film. Andrew Adamson, our director, was very keen on casting kids who really were these people.
Throughout the audition process, I learned a lot. I knew in that moment my life would change forever - and it did! Narnia was William's first role, and he had to learn the dynamics of being on a massive set. Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection William: It was my first movie, so it was challenging being on set for the first time and understanding how that works. You've got this one world on set and this one world on camera. As an actor, you're kind of walking between the two, and you have these two dynamics at once.I was thinking, "The other actors are so good! They're able to talk to everybody around them and just jump into the scene!" They'll talk to costume, talk to makeup, talk to the camera department - then boom, do an amazing job on camera. Sometimes I wouldn't be talking too much, because I'd be running my lines before filming, or really trying to get myself into the scene. I had to learn that skill of separating those two worlds, so I think that was the biggest challenge for me. William, Skandar, Anna, and Georgie Henley are still close friends today. Chris Jackson / Via Getty Images William: When we filmed Narnia, we were kids. We didn't fully realize we were on a huge-budget movie. We just had fun. A lot of times, we were literally cracking jokes right before we would go into a scene! (Laughs) We would be teasing each other or laughing about something and then we'd go right into filming.I had never done something like this before, and I was just enjoying the process. It felt a bit like being at a summer camp. We'd all hang out afterwards, on the weekends, at night. We were very, very close and we still are! Georgie, Skandar, Anna and I have a group chat. We talk all the time about when we're gonna meet up, or who's doing what, or who's where. It's really nice that we still have that connection. The world of Narnia was actually very hot, and they were sweating in their fur coats! Walt Disney Co. / Via Everett Collection William: The set was extraordinary because they had bought an equestrian center, which was a huge warehouse. They dug around 30 feet down, and then put in around 100 fake trees. They filled it with a couple of tons of fake snow and created a winter wonderland. It was hot, it wasn't cold at all. We were sweating in the fur coats, and afterwards they had to add our breath. It was absolutely extraordinary and fun.
Georgie, who plays Lucy, was blindfolded when she walked into Narnia for the first time. They