To start off here’s an interview out of New Zealand.

Source: The New Zealand Herald

“Bastards,” says Ben Barnes. He’s talking about his fellow actors from Prince Caspian, the new Chronicles of Narnia film in which he plays the title role. He’s joking. Sort of. “I’m eternally jealous of all of them,” says Barnes.

The problem is the constant, tedious raving of castmates, as well as director Andrew Adamson, about a magical day they shared shooting a scene in a remote corner of New Zealand’s beautiful South Island.

On a gloriously crystalline, isolated river near Haast, all the stars except Barnes spent a day in rowboats, with Adamson working an outboard motor and wielding the radio controls for the actors’ dinghy. “It was like student film-making, completely idyllic and intimate,” says Adamson.

Actor William Moseley, who plays Peter Pevensie, says it was “mindblowingly beautiful, one of the best days ever”. Barnes wasn’t invited along his character, the naive prince on the run from his evil uncle, wasn’t in the scene. “I didn’t get to go. Everyone’s favourite day on Prince Caspian didn’t include Prince Caspian,” Barnes says, rolling his eyes.

Sitting in a Sydney hotel room, the 26-year-old Englishman is experiencing the churn of blockbuster publicity for the first time. Already, Barnes seems a little jaded by the slicing of his life into 20-minute interview slots, policed by PR people with stopwatches and clipboards. He sighs frequently and runs his fingers through his brown hair. It’s his own hair now.

For the movie, Barnes needed hair extensions and a great deal of fake tan to become sufficiently swarthy as Caspian, the thwarted heir to the throne of the Telmarines, a race of humans who have invaded the magical kingdom of Narnia. Barnes had come straight from a role as a pale-skinned, short-haired schoolboy on the London stage in a National Theatre production of Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys.

A casting agent for Narnia slipped into the stalls one night to see if Barnes’ stage presence lived up to the critics’ positive reviews. Next thing, Barnes got a 3am phone call offering him the Narnia role, and had to decide whether to break his contract with the venerable theatre company. Barnes flew to New Zealand to begin rehearsals, prompting a sobering and unfulfilled threat by the National Theatre to sue him for breach of contract.

After two months’ training, he was confident enough on horseback to ride alone through a swollen river. “It was a magic moment. The water was so deep the horse was actually swimming, the cameras were all on the shore and everything was quiet. It was really special. Moments like that bring home the perspective of what you’re doing and how lucky you are.” In headlines, captions and on tweeny fan websites, Barnes is now referred to as “the new Orlando Bloom”. A few years ago it would have been a big compliment; Bloom was a similarly toffy, spunky Englishman with a knack for swordy epics.

Now, however, Bloom’s career has got stuck on silly romantic comedies and squiring models through the pages of New Idea. “Oh well,” scoffed another writer at the Caspian media preview, “at least they’re not calling him the new River Phoenix.” So how exactly does a young, handsome actor transcend his own square jaw to shape a decent, diverse career? By choosing wisely, and avoiding the rom-com dross.

Barnes is off to a good start, starring in a film adaptation of Noel Coward’s play Easy Virtue, co-starring Jessica Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth and due for release next year, plus word is he’s to play Dorian Gray in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s allegorical novel. “I’ve been so lucky in the stories I’ve been included in and the varieties of characters I’ve been asked to play,” Barnes says.

“I really hope that does continue, being inside a different character’s head and learning about the human condition by exploring different characters. I don’t think I’m particularly in it to get involved with making kind of fluffy films, I can’t really see the point of making them.” Barnes takes a breath, clearly realising how that sentence would sound to a casting director. He smiles.

“I don’t want to speak too soon just in case that’s what I end up doing. You never really know, but you have to choose your own path. It’s very difficult shaping a career in this business, you never really know what opportunities are going to come along, or when people are bored of you, you never know. I’m fully aware of how precarious it is; I’ve had enough months out of work to know.”

As a London public-schoolboy, Barnes played in shows such as Bugsy Malone with the National Youth Music Theatre from the age of 15, then studied English (including children’s literature classics such as the Narnia series) and drama at university, doing endless auditions and picking up work in indie productions such as the yet-to-be-released film Bigga than Ben, the tale of a pair of young Russian crims on the lam through London.

In the dry patches, Barnes worked in restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Is he confident those days of intermittent employment are over? Barnes looks slightly affronted. “I hope so. I think it would be difficult now to go and work in a bar and millions of people around the world would know that you’re Prince Caspian, so what are you doing working in a bar? Well, you’ve failed.”

So is this what actors mean when they talk about the pressure of fame? “I think that’s why people who get success and need to continue working end up doing these really cheesy awful things and hosting the most bizarre programmes. I honestly don’t know what I would do if [acting work] dried up, because you certainly can’t go and work in a call-centre or a bar. Life would be impossible.” Barnes gives a distinctly unamused laugh. “Thanks for bringing it up.

Now I’m really concerned about what I would do. I’d have to go behind the scenes. I’d beg to be Andrew [Adamson]‘s assistant.” With its computer-generated brilliance and stirring battles, Caspian will be as successful with pre-teens as the first Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but adult audiences will struggle to avoid being distracted by devices that have become a little tired in the past few fantasy-saturated years magical trees and bands of hooded horsemen seem to pop up in every second film these days.

Adamson has valiantly found all the bits of New Zealand scenery that haven’t been worked over by Peter Jackson, but there’s a certain unshakeable golly-goshness about his posh young protagonists, four fresh-faced children transported from wartime London to help Caspian save Narnia. As the younger actors stand around clutching flaming torches and earnestly discussing battle strategies, it’s as though the Famous Five have stumbled on to the set of Survivor: Honolulu.

Barnes’ involvement in the film brought a welcome new element of darkness to the film, says Moseley, whose character Peter engages Caspian in a struggle for supremacy as they squabble over military tactics. “Having Ben there added an interesting element, and something I think the audience won’t be ready for,” says Moseley, 21.

“Instead of a story of four children, as in the last film, it’s now two alpha males competing with each other.” He credits Barnes, who has become a friend, with bringing a more adult sensibility. “I really liked the change of atmosphere,” says Moseley. “I’m all about change. Change is what drama is all about, and with Ben there the film became a much darker Narnia.

It’s still got all the elements of spirituality of the first film, but it’s a much more physically and emotionally intense film.” Adamson hadn’t intended to cast a British actor for Caspian who, along with his fellow Telmarines speaks with an indeterminate Mediterranean accent, but says he was impressed throughout the production with Barnes’ presence and adaptability.

Barnes says he’ll be fascinated to see how Caspian is changed by the passage of time in the sequel Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which begins shooting in New Zealand and Mexico later this year with a new director, Michael Apted. “Caspian has been king for several years by the time Dawn Treader starts, so it’ll be good for me to reprise the role and take that on. He’ll be a different man.” The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is in cinemas from this Thursday.

In our exclusive interview, the rising star of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” opens up about hilarious pranks on the set and how he’s dealing with the pressure of sudden fame.

Imagine being a struggling actor plucked from near-obscurity to star in a blockbuster movie franchise that will make billions. That’s what London-bred Ben Barnes, 26, is experiencing, thanks to his breakthrough starring role as Prince Caspian in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the second movie in a series based on the popular C.S. Lewis novels. Before getting his big break in “Prince Caspian,” Barnes had a small role in the 2007 fantasy movie “Stardust” and had a theater background (including a stint in the West End production of “The History Boys), but “Prince Caspian” has vaulted Barnes to a whole new level of fame. (He’s also signed on to do the next two “Narnia” films, and he stars with Jessica Biel and Colin Firth in the 2009 romantic comedy “Easy Virtue.”) Barnes recently spent time with myLifetime.com and chatted about what he thinks about being made into Prince Caspian action figure, his unforgettable “Spinal Tap” moment on the set and why you’ll never see him be in a boy band again.

Who was the first person you called when you found out you got the part in “Prince Caspian”?
The first person was my mum. And she was, if it’s possible, even more excited than I was.

You had to take some last-minute lessons in sword-fighting and horseback riding, so what advice would you give to anyone who has to take sudden training in these areas?
I’m probably the worst person to ask to give advice to anyone in that scenario. But [my advice would be] you’ve got to jump in head first. You’ve really got to go for it. And if you’re doing horses, buy some padded bicycling shorts. [He laughs]

What was one of the funniest things that happened on the “Prince Caspian” set?
There was a one scene where I get woken up by Dr. Cornelius, [Caspian’s] tutor. It’s the first time [in the movie] you see me as Caspian, and Dr. Cornelius puts his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming; he wakes me up and we escape from the castle together. And Andrew Adamson, the [“Prince Caspian”] director, came in and he said to everyone, “That was good, but we need to change something with the lights and we need to do it again.” And he was very convincing. So I went back into bed and shut my eyes, and I could feel these lips on my mouth. And I was thinking, “If this is my professor kissing me, I’m going to be furious.” But it turned out to be the director’s assistant, who’s a very pretty lady. So it was actually OK in the end. But there were pranks aplenty.

What about any “This Is Spinal Tap” moments with unintentional mishaps?
There was a day when they invited some journalists onto the set. You know the bit in the movie when they had us flying with gryphons? … I was on these wires next to Peter Dinklage [who plays Trumpkin in the movie], hoisted up by my ankles and shoulders, and holding a sword. And for some reason, Andrew likes to use a lot of music to set the theme … mood music … For some reason, Andrew was blasting out this rock music when we were hanging on these wires, and I was playing a bit of air guitar on my sword. And I looked over at Peter Dinklage, in full makeup, doing the same thing.

And all of the journalists are sort of lining up, watching us, just hanging … we were supposed to fly in and as your feet get released, you’re supposed to land. But the very first time, they didn’t release my feet, so I went headfirst, straight in. And the journalists were behind this wall, and I went crashing down and all they heard was this thud and this: “Ow!” And my face was grazed against the stone. And that felt a little bit like “Spinal Tap.”

What do you think you’d be doing with your life if you weren’t an actor?
I directed a lot of plays at university. That kind of thing really interests me. I write bits and pieces of stories but I never have the patience to see them through. I did music when I was younger — jazz singing. I used to sing in a function band, Stevie Wonder, things like that. All the career paths I would’ve chosen were just as precarious, so I think I’m in the right one, where I can actually pretend to be somebody else.

You were in a boy band called Hyrise, which competed to be on Eurovision in 2004. [Says jokingly] Will there be a Hyrise reunion in case being an actor doesn’t work out for you?
[He laughs] Absolutely not! Hyrise only lasted five minutes the first time around.

Do you see yourself doing music and acting at the same time, and if so, what would be your dream project?
I don’t see myself doing both at the moment, but if the right thing came along, I would. I started acting in musical theater. So if something really exciting and new came up in that arena, I would be interested. I think the music that I love, like Donny Hathaway and all the music that I grew up listening to, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, no one would approach me to do … I’m just a huge music fan, and it’s nice for me to be at home, sit in my room and play my piano with no one else listening.

What’s the best advice that you’ve gotten on how to deal with the fame you’ll get because of “Prince Caspian”?
For me, people are sort of preemptively asking because of the success of the first [“Narnia”] movie … I don’t really know until I get there.

Speaking of handling fame, when we saw the advance screening of the movie for the first time, people were swarming around you as soon as you came out of the restroom. What was going through your mind when that happened?
Caspian’s gotta pee, too! [He laughs]

Were you also thinking, “Are my pants properly zipped up?”
[He laughs] Exactly. I was thinking, “[When these fans take their pictures here], they’ll see: fan, Caspian, men’s-room sign. That’s not cool.”

What do you think of the Prince Caspian action figure and video game?
It’s scary, isn’t it? When someone says you’re going to be an action figure, you’re like, “Yeah!” But actually, what this entails is probably some six-year-old smashing my head against the table, because that’s what I did with my Transformers and He-Man [action figures] … Chewing on the [action figure’s] fingers, that’s the reality of it. And with the video game, it’ll be like, “Die! Die, Caspian!” … Kids can be grim, pretty morbid. I think the Prince Caspian video game looks amazing.

How has your family reacted to you being an actor and this success you’re having now?
They’re very supportive. My parents before were a little bit hesitant but now they’re behind me, and they’re a very grounding influence. They won’t let me get my head in the clouds.

If you could rule the world as a real prince and have every wish at your command, what would you do to make a perfect day?
A perfect day for me is [having] time for a proper breakfast.

It was the night before Ben Barnes was to begin filming his first scenes on the big-budget sequel “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

To celebrate the occasion in New Zealand, director Andrew Adamson and a group of studio executives took the 26-year-old British actor, who plays the title character, out to dinner.

The meal ended late, and the group walked Barnes to his hotel. As the actor climbed the front steps, Adamson called out a few words of encouragement:

“Oh, Ben, by the way, don’t mess up the franchise.”

Barnes, sipping tea and eating a bacon and tomato omelet at a corner table in the Château Marmont hotel in West Hollywood, shivers a bit as he tells the story. The film opens Friday, and it is unlikely that he will ruin the profitable franchise (the first “Chronicles of Narnia” made nearly $750 million at the worldwide box office). But the memory of that night still unnerves him.

“I know he was joking, but there was probably a hint of truth in what he said. If this movie doesn’t do well, the only thing people will remember is that guy on every poster and billboard in the world.”

Perhaps to ensure the film’s success, the actor has been on a non-stop promotional tour that will continue until the end of June as the film opens in different countries. The pace has taken its toll, and Barnes was nursing a bad cold when he sat for this interview.

But he didn’t complain. He sees the promotion as part of his duties. And he doesn’t want to mess up the franchise.

“I’m the new guy, and I’m the guy whose face is on all the posters, so I guess it falls on me to do all these interviews,” he said with a laugh. “Besides, the rest of the cast is in school.”

The rest of the cast includes William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and Georgia Henley, who return as the British schoolchildren who discovered a secret, magical world inside a wardrobe in the 2005 hit “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Both films are based on the popular series of children’s books written by C.S. Lewis.

In the sequel, one year has passed for the children, who are living ordinary lives in England, but 1,300 years have passed in Narnia. The White Witch is long dead, and Aslan the lion hasn’t been seen in a millennium.

When the four children (a couple of them are young adults now) are summoned back to Narnia, where they are revered as royalty, they discover a much darker place than they remember, with a fierce battle raging between the Telmarines and the Narnians. The children were called back by Prince Caspian (Barnes), who is the rightful heir to the Telemarine throne, but he is on the run from his evil uncle who wants the throne for himself.

Director Adamson looked at 500 potential Prince Caspians before finding Barnes. Well, he didn’t actually find Barnes; his casting agent discovered the actor in a London production of the stage play “The History Boys.”

“You’ve got to see this guy,” the casting agent told the director, who wasn’t immediately thrilled with the prospect of casting another British actor in his movie.

The New Zealander said he wanted an actor with a “Mediterranean look” for his Prince Caspian.

“That’s why I wasn’t looking so intently in the U.K. during all this,” he explained. “I didn’t want the film to look too British. I wanted the world of Narnia to have some diversity. But Ben surprised me.

“Obviously, he’s a very good-looking young man, with great dark eyes and olive skin. And he was so charming, so likable and so down-to-Earth that he seemed like someone I wouldn’t mind spending the next seven months with. So, after a couple of auditions, I hired him, which was good because I was less than a week away from the start of filming.”

Barnes, who started acting when he was 15, vividly remembers the call he got from his agent the night after the casting agent saw him in the play.

“My agent said that someone from Disney saw me and wanted to consider me for a role in the next ‘Narnia’ movie. I asked which role, and he said Prince Caspian. I said that’s impossible; Caspian is 14 and blond in the book. My agent said he wasn’t 14 and blond in this version of the story.”

Three weeks after that first contact, Barnes was cast in the role.

“I told my agent that whatever time it was, I wanted him to call me with any news. He called from America at 4 a.m. and told me I got the part. I ran around my house screaming. I was so excited. I grew up with those books. I watched the BBC series all the time. I couldn’t believe I was going to be part of this. These stories meant so much to me as an 8-year-old, and I can’t believe I am helping to bring this storytelling to another generation.

“That’s the only pressure I really feel,” he added. “I don’t worry about messing up the franchise. I just don’t want to mess up this experience for kids who love these stories. It was so magical for me; I want it to be magical for them.”

When he was growing up in southwest London, Barnes said he never thought about acting. He was more interested in singing, and he belonged to a local choir.

“I made the transition to musical theater when I was 14 because I realized it wasn’t cool for a guy to be in a choir at 14. Not that it was cool to be in musical theater, either, but I didn’t know any better.”

When he was 15, the artistic director of the National Youth Music Theater came to his school and invited Barnes to audition for the company. He spent six summers with the company, and began his professional theatrical career in earnest while in college. He did some film work – in the independent films “Bigga than Ben” and “Stardust” – but “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is clearly his big Hollywood break.

“Look, this is huge for Ben,” Adamson said. “We are about to rock his world, and he seems to be handling it beautifully. I’m not surprised, but at the same time, it’s a lot for any young man to handle.”

Barnes said he hasn’t noticed any major changes in his life yet, other than a lot of media people seem very interested in him.

“I am a little overwhelmed at seeing myself on all those billboards,” he said. “I’m a bit awe-struck by it all, and I hope that will change by the next movie.” The third “Narnia” film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” starts filming in October, and Prince Caspian has an even bigger role in that movie.

“You know, it’s funny. When we finished the film, I was very comfortable because it seemed so far away. Even a few weeks ago, it seemed so far away. Then, just this morning, I saw a trailer for the movie on television, and it ended with my face on the screen and a voice saying, ‘Opens this Friday.’

“That’s when it hit me. I can’t believe it’s opening this Friday. Suddenly, it all seems very real. For the first time, I’m feeling a little anxious. But I’m also excited. If it changes my life forever, I think I’m ready. I hope I’m ready.”

Just don’t mess up the franchise.

It was the night before Ben Barnes was to begin filming his first scenes on the big-budget sequel “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

To celebrate the occasion in New Zealand, director Andrew Adamson and a group of studio executives took the 26-year-old British actor, who plays the title character, out to dinner.

The meal ended late, and the group walked Barnes to his hotel. As the actor climbed the front steps, Adamson called out a few words of encouragement:

“Oh, Ben, by the way, don’t mess up the franchise.”

Barnes, sipping tea and eating a bacon and tomato omelet at a corner table in the Château Marmont hotel in West Hollywood, shivers a bit as he tells the story. The film opens Friday, and it is unlikely that he will ruin the profitable franchise (the first “Chronicles of Narnia” made nearly $750 million at the worldwide box office). But the memory of that night still unnerves him.

“I know he was joking, but there was probably a hint of truth in what he said. If this movie doesn’t do well, the only thing people will remember is that guy on every poster and billboard in the world.”

Perhaps to ensure the film’s success, the actor has been on a non-stop promotional tour that will continue until the end of June as the film opens in different countries. The pace has taken its toll, and Barnes was nursing a bad cold when he sat for this interview.

But he didn’t complain. He sees the promotion as part of his duties. And he doesn’t want to mess up the franchise.

“I’m the new guy, and I’m the guy whose face is on all the posters, so I guess it falls on me to do all these interviews,” he said with a laugh. “Besides, the rest of the cast is in school.”

The rest of the cast includes William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and Georgia Henley, who return as the British schoolchildren who discovered a secret, magical world inside a wardrobe in the 2005 hit “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Both films are based on the popular series of children’s books written by C.S. Lewis.

In the sequel, one year has passed for the children, who are living ordinary lives in England, but 1,300 years have passed in Narnia. The White Witch is long dead, and Aslan the lion hasn’t been seen in a millennium.

When the four children (a couple of them are young adults now) are summoned back to Narnia, where they are revered as royalty, they discover a much darker place than they remember, with a fierce battle raging between the Telmarines and the Narnians. The children were called back by Prince Caspian (Barnes), who is the rightful heir to the Telemarine throne, but he is on the run from his evil uncle who wants the throne for himself.

Director Adamson looked at 500 potential Prince Caspians before finding Barnes. Well, he didn’t actually find Barnes; his casting agent discovered the actor in a London production of the stage play “The History Boys.”

“You’ve got to see this guy,” the casting agent told the director, who wasn’t immediately thrilled with the prospect of casting another British actor in his movie.

The New Zealander said he wanted an actor with a “Mediterranean look” for his Prince Caspian.

“That’s why I wasn’t looking so intently in the U.K. during all this,” he explained. “I didn’t want the film to look too British. I wanted the world of Narnia to have some diversity. But Ben surprised me.

“Obviously, he’s a very good-looking young man, with great dark eyes and olive skin. And he was so charming, so likable and so down-to-Earth that he seemed like someone I wouldn’t mind spending the next seven months with. So, after a couple of auditions, I hired him, which was good because I was less than a week away from the start of filming.”

Barnes, who started acting when he was 15, vividly remembers the call he got from his agent the night after the casting agent saw him in the play.

“My agent said that someone from Disney saw me and wanted to consider me for a role in the next ‘Narnia’ movie. I asked which role, and he said Prince Caspian. I said that’s impossible; Caspian is 14 and blond in the book. My agent said he wasn’t 14 and blond in this version of the story.”

Three weeks after that first contact, Barnes was cast in the role.

“I told my agent that whatever time it was, I wanted him to call me with any news. He called from America at 4 a.m. and told me I got the part. I ran around my house screaming. I was so excited. I grew up with those books. I watched the BBC series all the time. I couldn’t believe I was going to be part of this. These stories meant so much to me as an 8-year-old, and I can’t believe I am helping to bring this storytelling to another generation.

“That’s the only pressure I really feel,” he added. “I don’t worry about messing up the franchise. I just don’t want to mess up this experience for kids who love these stories. It was so magical for me; I want it to be magical for them.”

When he was growing up in southwest London, Barnes said he never thought about acting. He was more interested in singing, and he belonged to a local choir.

“I made the transition to musical theater when I was 14 because I realized it wasn’t cool for a guy to be in a choir at 14. Not that it was cool to be in musical theater, either, but I didn’t know any better.”

When he was 15, the artistic director of the National Youth Music Theater came to his school and invited Barnes to audition for the company. He spent six summers with the company, and began his professional theatrical career in earnest while in college. He did some film work – in the independent films “Bigga than Ben” and “Stardust” – but “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is clearly his big Hollywood break.

“Look, this is huge for Ben,” Adamson said. “We are about to rock his world, and he seems to be handling it beautifully. I’m not surprised, but at the same time, it’s a lot for any young man to handle.”

Barnes said he hasn’t noticed any major changes in his life yet, other than a lot of media people seem very interested in him.

“I am a little overwhelmed at seeing myself on all those billboards,” he said. “I’m a bit awe-struck by it all, and I hope that will change by the next movie.” The third “Narnia” film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” starts filming in October, and Prince Caspian has an even bigger role in that movie.

“You know, it’s funny. When we finished the film, I was very comfortable because it seemed so far away. Even a few weeks ago, it seemed so far away. Then, just this morning, I saw a trailer for the movie on television, and it ended with my face on the screen and a voice saying, ‘Opens this Friday.’

“That’s when it hit me. I can’t believe it’s opening this Friday. Suddenly, it all seems very real. For the first time, I’m feeling a little anxious. But I’m also excited. If it changes my life forever, I think I’m ready. I hope I’m ready.”

Just don’t mess up the franchise.

Reminder: Ben will be on Rachel Ray today, supposedly, and on TRL as well. I’m going to try to screencap TRL.

Ben Barnes has the role of his life this year playing PRINCE CASPIAN in the new Chronicles of Narnia film out from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media!

Due out May 16th, Barnes is about to go for the ride of his life as a child’s hero, action figure and household name and face! Plus, he’s got another Narnia film ahead of him that starts shooting in October!

IESB’s Robert Sanchez sat down with Barnes in Westwood, California last week to talk about the upcoming opening and it’s effects. Plus, find out how he got the role, the training he went through, the next Narnia film and more in IESB ‘s exclusive interview with Prince Caspian himself, Ben Barnes, below!

Ben Barnes Interview –
Q: How are you enjoying California? Hot enough for you?

Ben Barnes: Yes, just perfect. Everyone’s like “It’s so hot!” Stop whining, you could be in London you could be freezing your ass off.

Q: How prepared were you for this? This movie is you, you go down the street and see billboards and it’s you, Prince Caspian, were you prepared for something like that?

BB: No, I had no idea. I mean, obviously, I knew some of the publicity campaign is going to be based on images just because the book is called “Prince Caspian” that C.S. Lewis wrote about 50 years ago and there’s nothing I can do about that, but, it’s surreal. I just saw the one on Sunset and it’s so huge. Like, 80% of it knows that it’s you but 20% of you just refuses to believe it.

Q: You are the new kid on the block in this film, how did the rest of the gang treat you when you came aboard?

BB: You know they beat me…they’re awful, awful kids, I hate them. (laughter) They knew there was going to be someone else coming into the central family of the movie and there was a strong family feeling on set. They are just such affectionate kids. I had a great time and Andrew helms it all with this easy authority, it was great.

Q: Did you grow up reading the books?

BB: Yeah, I read them when I was 8 years old.

Q: Talk to us about the casting process.

BB: I was doing a stage show in the West End called “The History Boys” and one of the casting department people came and saw the show and said, “would you want to come and audition?” and I went and read one scene and sent it on tape. The next week I did a screen test and 4 or 5 weeks later I was in New Zealand at an equestrian center complaining about the fact that my thighs were killing me and could we please take a break and they were like, “absolutely not, you’re shooting next week.”

Q: Is this your first big picture?

BB: I had a small role in Stardust last year and then I’ve done a couple of independent, small British films. But this is the first big thing.

Q: And it’s centered around your character. Coming from stage work and going to something this massive, and this is even bigger than the Stardust set.
BB: It’s bigger than every set that’s ever been. I was enormous. There were so many sets as well. I had difficulty coping, I was like, “when did you guys have time to build this stuff?”

Q: How was the weapons training? Can you tell us about the process?

BB: The minute I got there I was thrown onto a horse. That was the number one thing to get good at quickly because I had to shoot on horses pretty much straight away. So, I was five – six hours a day with these Spanish trainers who were just amazing. And then the New Zealand stunt team were fantastic and they started doing all the sword stuff with me and then we added in the dagger as well and it was like, it’s really fun. The sword stuff is really fun and I can’t lose ’cause I have to survive to the next book. So I was never going to get killed, it was brilliant.

Q: Is it surreal to think that you are going to be an action figure and there will be little kids playing with your toy?

BB: I’ve thought about the fact that there would be one but I always imaged they’d be kept in the box, like, collectors or something. Now that you mention it, I haven’t really thought about it as actually like something they’d be playing with and trying to smash the heads off it, that’s weird. But, I did it, we all did it. I remember my Transformers and my He-Man figures and making them beat each other up and stuff, I think it’s great, it’s flattering. It’s fantastic, it’s a nice perk. I’ve also seen the video game stuff, it looks amazing as well. It really look like me.

Q: Did you do the voice over work for it?

BB: Yeah, I did all the jumping noises, the little grunts, they call them “the efforts.” They’re like, “A big effort!” and I’m like “ARRGGHH!!” I’m like, this is ridiculous, I sound like I’m being punched and they said, “that’s what we want!”

Q: This book has been around for a while, do you feel a sense of responsibility, because there are generations of fans that have grown up with these books, to make sure you nailed this character right, or did you come in and say, “you know what, I’m gonna put my spin on this.”

BB: I think I would’ve if there’d been more details about the character in the books but C.S. Lewis doesn’t really flesh the characters out like a huge amount, he just tells you where they come from, where they’re going and you kind of have to fill the rest in for yourself which is why I love the books because as a kid you get to imagine that all for yourself. So, I feel just as much of a responsibility to myself as to anyone else because I grew up on the books so I think it’s very important to be faithful to the stories, absolutely, but you gotta take a few liberties with little bits and pieces just so the movie is accessible and exciting to everyone.

Q: They’re going to start shooting the next one pretty soon…

BB: Yeah, like October.

Q: Any training beforehand for that one?

BB: I don’t know, I asked about this recently. I asked if I would have to do any diving or anything like that and they were like, “yeah, probably.” But, it’s probably going to be like I’ll get there and they’ll be like, “oh by the way, can you dive?” I’m like, no, not really. “Well then you have to go train NOW!” I’m sure it will be like that.

Q: Have you seen the completed film?

BB: No.

Q: Have you seen most of it?

BB: I’ll be there on the second in New York. That’s the first time I will see it.

Q: Besides the next Narnia film, is there anything else you are working on right now?

BB: I just wrapped on a movie in England called Easy Virtue it’s a 1928 version of Meets the Parents basically. It was something completely different.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opens in theaters everywhere May 16th!

Ben Barnes might not be a household name just yet, but landing the lead role as Prince Caspian in Disney’s second installment of “The Chronicles of Narnia” franchise is about to change everything for the young actor.

Fans might recognize Ben from his role in the fantasy romp “Stardust,” and theatergoers lucky enough to catch him in the London West End production of “History Boys” already have a taste for the talents of AccessHollywood.com’s newest Rising Star.

Upon hearing the news he had been crowned Access Hollywood.com’s new Rising Star, he wondered if he had won something. When told the prize would be all eyes on him, he responded with a nervous laugh, “That’s slightly terrifying. Let’s hope I can live up to it!”

In between his busy schedule of film premieres and an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, Access caught up with Ben to talk about “Narnia,” his newfound fame and how he ended up stepping into the coveted role of Prince Caspian.

“I saw the film for the first time last week. It was exciting to see seven months of work come together,” Ben told Access. “I don’t love to watch myself on screen, however.”

Ben was discovered for the role of Prince Caspian when a casting agent saw his performance in the popular British play, “The History Boys.” After landing the plum role of Prince Caspian, Ben was forced to decide between the stage and the screen.

“It was a difficult decision, but I had been part of the production for six months and playing the role of Prince Caspian was not a role I could ever turn down,” he said.

In fact, the role of Prince Caspian was a childhood fantasy for Ben.

“I grew up reading the books and getting the part was two dreams come true for me,” he said. “The first landing a leading role in a Hollywood film, and the other having the opportunity to play such a beloved character.”

Though Ben’s name might be new to most, his face has popped up across the country on billboards and buses in an advertising blitz that he said is making his head spin a little.

“The first time I saw the poster I turned to the producer and said, ‘Is this sensible? You know no one knows who I am!’ It’s all a bit overwhelming, really,” Ben admitted. “But, my brother said something that really made sense. He pointed out that it’s not Ben Barnes. It’s Prince Caspian. So where I know that’s my face, it’s still a character.”

Character or not, Ben Barnes mania has hit America as fans prepare for another trip to the enchanted land of Narnia. The craze over Ben has even caught on with Access producer Kathy Suarez, who said of her first encounter with the young star, “his hair was literally blowing. His smile was perfection and that British accent sealed the deal.”

The Ben mania doesn’t show any signs of slowing, as he and the rest of the “Narnia” cast start shooting the next installment, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” in October.

After “Prince Caspian” premieres and Ben gets a much-needed break, he said he’s excited to checkout fellow summer blockbusters, “Iron Man,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “The Dark Knight.”

Next up for Ben is the romantic comedy “Easy Virtue,” where he’ll star opposite Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, and Kristin Scott Thomas. But first, find out if Ben can save Narnia from evil forces in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” opening May 16.

You’ve seen the posters or huge billboards; that gorgeous, dark-haired guy in armor, sword in hard looking directly at us under veiled lids. Wow! Even if you never ever heard of Narnia, you might want to flock to theaters for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian based on that hot gaze alone!

Ben Barnes, who is in his 20′s playing 17 or 18 in “Caspian”, was whisked off the London stage where he was a hit in “The History Boys” and dropped down in New Zealand for a crash course in big Hollywood filmmaking while being dragged behind a horse! It’s been a series of whirlwind publicity and public appearances for the dark and handsome young star-in-the-making and, when we finally caught up with him on the phone, he had a bad throat infection but was on his way to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell for the day! Whew! Then, after a short break, he gets to do it all again for the next Narnia installment The Dawn Treader.

We were excited to get to know this cutie and found him to be funny and earnest about everything from his quick launch by the Hollywood starmaker machine (he had only a small part in Stardust playing young Dunstan before this role) to what he was like at 16 and what qualities he’s looking for in someone to date. If you find one of those hot posters to stare at on and off while reading this, we don’t blame you!

TeenHollywood: We heard that you weren’t feeling so swift so thanks for talking to us.

Ben: I just have a bit of a nasty throat infection but antibiotics is clearing it up.

TeenHollywood: We know that you left your successful stage role in “The History Boys” at the National theater to play Caspian. What was it like when you found out that you had the part?

Ben: I told them that I wanted to know day or night any time, because we knew that they would make their decision in the next couple of days. It happened to be late afternoon Los Angeles time so it was four o’clock in the morning and so I answered the phone completely sleepily and jumped out of bed running around the house screaming, making as much noise as possible!

TeenHollywood: Are you concerned that you might get type-cast or are you going to take the route that Dan Radcliffe did….

Ben:..and take my clothes off you mean? [referring to Dan in the play "Equus"].

TeenHollywood: Well, uh [okay, we're blushing]… that would be very interesting but I meant …and diversify by taking totally different roles to keep from getting type-cast?

Ben: I’ve been lucky so far in the variety of roles that have been afforded to me. I’ve played Russian yobs and all-American quarterbacks and a Spanish prince and all sorts of different things and I just hope that that variety will continue. I think it’s up to me to make wise decisions.

TeenHollywood: You shot in Czechoslovakia and New Zealand. Was there any time to look around or hang out with other cast members off set?

Ben: It seemed like they had different days off than me because, obviously, the story threads don’t come together until like a third of the way in. So, when I was shooting horse chases through the forest in New Zealand, they were off bungee jumping and hang gliding and doing fun stuff but I was more of a night owl so me and Peter Dinklage would hit the town in the evenings.

TeenHollywood: You are closer in age to Bill Moseley but, for the most part did you feel like “the new guy” or “older brother” to the young cast members?

Ben: Well, obviously, it took a little while to fit into the group that was so closely knit from the first film, but, absolutely, by the end, that’s entirely how it felt. I was getting teased by all four of them.

TeenHollywood: Did they tease you about the posters featuring your face or about your heartthrob status?

Ben: Absolutely. Georgie [Henley who plays Lucy] does a very good impression of me; a sort of Zoolander version.

TeenHollywood: Oh, that “blue steel” stare you mean?

Ben: Yeah.

TeenHollywood: How does all this effect your daily life? Do you feel like your whole world has been turned upside down?

Ben: A little bit. The thing is, I’m so busy, I haven’t been able to see what life is like because I’m running around working and promoting. I haven’t been able to stop so I haven’t noticed too many changes.

TeenHollywood: Do you miss the immediacy of theater roles; having the audience right there in the room with you?

Ben: I don’t miss it as of yet because I’ve just started trying something new so it’s still exciting and it won’t happen again for another year or so because of the next installment that we’re shooting at the end of the year but, of course I’d like to get back on stage in London.

TeenHollywood: If you are going to take someone out on a date, what kind of qualities does that person have to have?

Ben: They’ve just got to be someone who enjoys life and enjoys a laugh and has a good appetite for life in general. I can’t stand it when I take someone to a restaurant and they order a salad.

TeenHollywood: Okay, if you take us out, we’ll promise to pig out bigtime!! We hear you had a copy of the “Prince Caspian” novel with a cute sticker in it when you were a kid? Something about a bear…

Ben: Yeah. There was a sticker in the front with a picture of a bear and it said “I can’t bear to be without my books”, a little pun and then it says “name” and I wrote Benjamin Barnes. I was eight years old.

TeenHollywood: Awwww. So, did you remember much about the character from your childhood reading of the novel or did you have to go back and re-read it?

Ben: I didn’t have a very vivid memory of the story, but I definitely had this image of Prince Caspian. I knew he was different from High King Peter and I knew that he was reluctantly in the position in which he found himself but, beyond that, I had to go back and read.

TeenHollywood: Did you actually fib about being able to ride a horse? How was the horseback training for this film?

Ben: I didn’t actually lie. They said ‘have you been on a horse before?’ and I said ‘yes’. Then, I rang up my mom and said ‘have I been on a horse before?’ ‘I think so’. She fished out a photograph of me on a Shetland pony at age six [he laughs].

TeenHollywood: Not exactly what they meant. So, I guess you hit the horseback training hard when you got to New Zealand then?

Ben: Yeah, six or seven hours a day.

TeenHollywood: What was the first scene you shot?

Ben: At the beginning when I get knocked off my horse by a tree branch and then I’m dragged. The very first shot, they put a camera on the ground and attached a rope to my foot and yanked on it and pulled me into frame so I was literally dragged kicking and screaming. Welcome to Hollywood!

TeenHollywood: Yikes! When you were a teen, say at 16, what were you like? Did you always want to be an actor?

Ben: That was around the age that I started doing musical theater and thinking about the possibility of it maybe being something that I could do as a career. I couldn’t think of anything else. I was always the youngest in my year group at school so I was always a little bit shy.

TeenHollywood: Say someone is 16 and wants to act. What advice would you give them?

Ben: Be true to yourself and see where it leads you. Decisions, in this business, have a very strange way of making themselves. Something comes along which sort of guides you in the right direction even if it’s right at the last minute.

TeenHollywood: So if you were in the National Youth Music Theater, do you sing or play an instrument?

Ben: Yeah, I do. I sing and also play piano and the drums. My very first professional job was playing the drums in “Bugsy Malone” in the West End when I was 16, just getting the bug.

TeenHollywood: Would you like to go back to that some day for fun?

Ben: For fun, absolutely. I was never good enough to do it as a job.

TeenHollywood: What sort of music do you like to listen to?

Ben: Everything that I grew up with; the Beatles, the Stones and Queen and some Motown and Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway and modern stuff like Arctic Monkeys and Kanye West. I’m very eclectic…with movies too.

TeenHollywood: Do you feel that your costumes and “princely stuff” in the film help you in playing the role?

Ben: Yes. For me, the first thing to get into place was the accent, the voice, how the character sounds and then, a very close second to that is probably the costume and how that makes you feel when you put on the boots and the suede trousers and the big-armed shirt, the cape. It makes you feel kind of adventurous. But, you know, in The Incredibles there are no capes, because they can get caught in things, but I find them helpful [humm, he must be an animated movie fan].

TeenHollywood: Now a fun question. What, besides acting, do you do really well and what pretty badly?

Ben: Everything else, pretty much. I was always that guy who could do everything sort of quite well but wasn’t brilliant at anything. I can cook a few dishes well but the rest is hopeless.

TeenHollywood: So, we won’t come to dinner at your house then.

Ben: Well, as long as you choose one of five things, it’ll be great!

TeenHollywood: What is your favorite thing to cook then?

Ben: Like a big British Sunday roast!

TeenHollywood: Yum! Are you getting ready for Dawn Treader [the next Narnia film] now?

Ben: They have started pre-production but I don’t get involved until October myself. I’ve seen some storyboards and they are absolutely magnificent but we have to translate them into a film. More than that I haven’t seen. There’s no script available yet.

TeenHollywood: You were also in a TV movie for the CW called “Split Decision”. What was that about?

Ben: That was a pilot that didn’t go to series but it was fun to make. I played this all-American quarterback which was important to me because I’d grown up watching The Breakfast Club and those movies and I was determined to play the cool guy in the American high school before I’m too old and I got to do it.

TeenHollywood: When you were a teen, what movie just blew you away?

Ben: The same one that still does today. It’s the funniest movie of all time, This is Spinal Tap.

TeenHollywood: Hilarious movie. Then why didn’t you end up in a big comedy movie?

Ben: I know but your skill set isn’t necessarily the thing you enjoy. But the film with Jessica [Biel] was a comedy so I have done my fair share. I’m being called away. I have to go ring the bell at the stock exchange for the end of the day. We’ve just arrived!

TeenHollywood: Okay, we’ll wrap up. You were referring to playing John Whittaker in Easy Virtue, a social comedy based on Noel Coward’s play. Was it fun acting with Jessica Biel?

Ben: Yeah, absolutely. It was fantastic. She’s such a brilliant actress and, obviously gorgeous so you’ll hear no complaints from me!

You’ve seen the posters or huge billboards; that gorgeous, dark-haired guy in armor, sword in hard looking directly at us under veiled lids. Wow! Even if you never ever heard of Narnia, you might want to flock to theaters for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian based on that hot gaze alone!

Ben Barnes, who is in his 20′s playing 17 or 18 in “Caspian”, was whisked off the London stage where he was a hit in “The History Boys” and dropped down in New Zealand for a crash course in big Hollywood filmmaking while being dragged behind a horse! It’s been a series of whirlwind publicity and public appearances for the dark and handsome young star-in-the-making and, when we finally caught up with him on the phone, he had a bad throat infection but was on his way to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell for the day! Whew! Then, after a short break, he gets to do it all again for the next Narnia installment The Dawn Treader.

We were excited to get to know this cutie and found him to be funny and earnest about everything from his quick launch by the Hollywood starmaker machine (he had only a small part in Stardust playing young Dunstan before this role) to what he was like at 16 and what qualities he’s looking for in someone to date. If you find one of those hot posters to stare at on and off while reading this, we don’t blame you!

TeenHollywood: We heard that you weren’t feeling so swift so thanks for talking to us.

Ben: I just have a bit of a nasty throat infection but antibiotics is clearing it up.

TeenHollywood: We know that you left your successful stage role in “The History Boys” at the National theater to play Caspian. What was it like when you found out that you had the part?

Ben: I told them that I wanted to know day or night any time, because we knew that they would make their decision in the next couple of days. It happened to be late afternoon Los Angeles time so it was four o’clock in the morning and so I answered the phone completely sleepily and jumped out of bed running around the house screaming, making as much noise as possible!

TeenHollywood: Are you concerned that you might get type-cast or are you going to take the route that Dan Radcliffe did….

Ben:..and take my clothes off you mean? [referring to Dan in the play "Equus"].

TeenHollywood: Well, uh [okay, we're blushing]… that would be very interesting but I meant …and diversify by taking totally different roles to keep from getting type-cast?

Ben: I’ve been lucky so far in the variety of roles that have been afforded to me. I’ve played Russian yobs and all-American quarterbacks and a Spanish prince and all sorts of different things and I just hope that that variety will continue. I think it’s up to me to make wise decisions.

TeenHollywood: You shot in Czechoslovakia and New Zealand. Was there any time to look around or hang out with other cast members off set?

Ben: It seemed like they had different days off than me because, obviously, the story threads don’t come together until like a third of the way in. So, when I was shooting horse chases through the forest in New Zealand, they were off bungee jumping and hang gliding and doing fun stuff but I was more of a night owl so me and Peter Dinklage would hit the town in the evenings.

TeenHollywood: You are closer in age to Bill Moseley but, for the most part did you feel like “the new guy” or “older brother” to the young cast members?

Ben: Well, obviously, it took a little while to fit into the group that was so closely knit from the first film, but, absolutely, by the end, that’s entirely how it felt. I was getting teased by all four of them.

TeenHollywood: Did they tease you about the posters featuring your face or about your heartthrob status?

Ben: Absolutely. Georgie [Henley who plays Lucy] does a very good impression of me; a sort of Zoolander version.

TeenHollywood: Oh, that “blue steel” stare you mean?

Ben: Yeah.

TeenHollywood: How does all this effect your daily life? Do you feel like your whole world has been turned upside down?

Ben: A little bit. The thing is, I’m so busy, I haven’t been able to see what life is like because I’m running around working and promoting. I haven’t been able to stop so I haven’t noticed too many changes.

TeenHollywood: Do you miss the immediacy of theater roles; having the audience right there in the room with you?

Ben: I don’t miss it as of yet because I’ve just started trying something new so it’s still exciting and it won’t happen again for another year or so because of the next installment that we’re shooting at the end of the year but, of course I’d like to get back on stage in London.

TeenHollywood: If you are going to take someone out on a date, what kind of qualities does that person have to have?

Ben: They’ve just got to be someone who enjoys life and enjoys a laugh and has a good appetite for life in general. I can’t stand it when I take someone to a restaurant and they order a salad.

TeenHollywood: Okay, if you take us out, we’ll promise to pig out bigtime!! We hear you had a copy of the “Prince Caspian” novel with a cute sticker in it when you were a kid? Something about a bear…

Ben: Yeah. There was a sticker in the front with a picture of a bear and it said “I can’t bear to be without my books”, a little pun and then it says “name” and I wrote Benjamin Barnes. I was eight years old.

TeenHollywood: Awwww. So, did you remember much about the character from your childhood reading of the novel or did you have to go back and re-read it?

Ben: I didn’t have a very vivid memory of the story, but I definitely had this image of Prince Caspian. I knew he was different from High King Peter and I knew that he was reluctantly in the position in which he found himself but, beyond that, I had to go back and read.

TeenHollywood: Did you actually fib about being able to ride a horse? How was the horseback training for this film?

Ben: I didn’t actually lie. They said ‘have you been on a horse before?’ and I said ‘yes’. Then, I rang up my mom and said ‘have I been on a horse before?’ ‘I think so’. She fished out a photograph of me on a Shetland pony at age six [he laughs].

TeenHollywood: Not exactly what they meant. So, I guess you hit the horseback training hard when you got to New Zealand then?

Ben: Yeah, six or seven hours a day.

TeenHollywood: What was the first scene you shot?

Ben: At the beginning when I get knocked off my horse by a tree branch and then I’m dragged. The very first shot, they put a camera on the ground and attached a rope to my foot and yanked on it and pulled me into frame so I was literally dragged kicking and screaming. Welcome to Hollywood!

TeenHollywood: Yikes! When you were a teen, say at 16, what were you like? Did you always want to be an actor?

Ben: That was around the age that I started doing musical theater and thinking about the possibility of it maybe being something that I could do as a career. I couldn’t think of anything else. I was always the youngest in my year group at school so I was always a little bit shy.

TeenHollywood: Say someone is 16 and wants to act. What advice would you give them?

Ben: Be true to yourself and see where it leads you. Decisions, in this business, have a very strange way of making themselves. Something comes along which sort of guides you in the right direction even if it’s right at the last minute.

TeenHollywood: So if you were in the National Youth Music Theater, do you sing or play an instrument?

Ben: Yeah, I do. I sing and also play piano and the drums. My very first professional job was playing the drums in “Bugsy Malone” in the West End when I was 16, just getting the bug.

TeenHollywood: Would you like to go back to that some day for fun?

Ben: For fun, absolutely. I was never good enough to do it as a job.

TeenHollywood: What sort of music do you like to listen to?

Ben: Everything that I grew up with; the Beatles, the Stones and Queen and some Motown and Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway and modern stuff like Arctic Monkeys and Kanye West. I’m very eclectic…with movies too.

TeenHollywood: Do you feel that your costumes and “princely stuff” in the film help you in playing the role?

Ben: Yes. For me, the first thing to get into place was the accent, the voice, how the character sounds and then, a very close second to that is probably the costume and how that makes you feel when you put on the boots and the suede trousers and the big-armed shirt, the cape. It makes you feel kind of adventurous. But, you know, in The Incredibles there are no capes, because they can get caught in things, but I find them helpful [humm, he must be an animated movie fan].

TeenHollywood: Now a fun question. What, besides acting, do you do really well and what pretty badly?

Ben: Everything else, pretty much. I was always that guy who could do everything sort of quite well but wasn’t brilliant at anything. I can cook a few dishes well but the rest is hopeless.

TeenHollywood: So, we won’t come to dinner at your house then.

Ben: Well, as long as you choose one of five things, it’ll be great!

TeenHollywood: What is your favorite thing to cook then?

Ben: Like a big British Sunday roast!

TeenHollywood: Yum! Are you getting ready for Dawn Treader [the next Narnia film] now?

Ben: They have started pre-production but I don’t get involved until October myself. I’ve seen some storyboards and they are absolutely magnificent but we have to translate them into a film. More than that I haven’t seen. There’s no script available yet.

TeenHollywood: You were also in a TV movie for the CW called “Split Decision”. What was that about?

Ben: That was a pilot that didn’t go to series but it was fun to make. I played this all-American quarterback which was important to me because I’d grown up watching The Breakfast Club and those movies and I was determined to play the cool guy in the American high school before I’m too old and I got to do it.

TeenHollywood: When you were a teen, what movie just blew you away?

Ben: The same one that still does today. It’s the funniest movie of all time, This is Spinal Tap.

TeenHollywood: Hilarious movie. Then why didn’t you end up in a big comedy movie?

Ben: I know but your skill set isn’t necessarily the thing you enjoy. But the film with Jessica [Biel] was a comedy so I have done my fair share. I’m being called away. I have to go ring the bell at the stock exchange for the end of the day. We’ve just arrived!

TeenHollywood: Okay, we’ll wrap up. You were referring to playing John Whittaker in Easy Virtue, a social comedy based on Noel Coward’s play. Was it fun acting with Jessica Biel?

Ben: Yeah, absolutely. It was fantastic. She’s such a brilliant actress and, obviously gorgeous so you’ll hear no complaints from me!