Sixteen-year-old actor Skandar Keynes played Edmund Pevensie in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Along with the rest of his onscreen siblings and director Andrew Adamson, he is back for "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the second installment of C.S.Lewis' beloved adventures, which finds the Pevensies returning to a Narnia which is very different from the magical land they left behind at the end of the last film. More than a thousand Narnian years have passed since the Pevensies’ last adventure and Narnia is now under the sway of a tyrannical new ruler, King Miraz.
Skandar looks back on the making of the film and tells us about his high hopes for the movie.
Question: Edmund was pretty much the villain in the first film. What's he up to in “Prince Caspian”?
Skandar Keynes: I didn't see Edmund as a villain. I thought he was a good guy who did bad things, but he's matured a lot in this story and there are moments when he would have put down his little sister in the old days but now he's really kind to her. And he saves his older brother, Peter, a lot, 'cause Peter's flawed in this one.
Q: And there's more action this time around...
Skandar: Yes, there's a scene where I had to ride a horse without holding on at all and do some sword fighting while horse riding. In another scene I had to smash down a door and then do a dive and roll.
Q: Was that the standout scene for you?
Skandar: I liked a scene where we're all sleeping at a campsite best. I thought it was cool to be paid for sleeping! The highlight of the whole production for me was the time we spent in the South Island in New Zealand and I had lots of free time to go bungee jumping. I jumped off the Sky Tower, which is the highest building in the southern hemisphere, and I did the Canyon Swing, which is the biggest swing in the world. Will [cast member William Moseley, who plays Peter] did some of them with me but he was pretty scared. He likes to claim he's more of an action man than me, but there's no way [laughs].
Q: The shooting of the Narnia films lasts a long time. Is there anything you miss while you’re away from home?
Skandar: Fish and chips.
Q: And what about at the end of the shoot? The Pevensies find it hard to return to their everyday lives. What do you miss when you leave the production behind?
Skandar: Well, I'm happy to get back home for the fish and chips, but on the set there is non-stop catering! I've grown like seven inches over the last year so I have to eat a lot.
Q: Have you stayed in touch with your co-stars or any of the crew since the end of the shoot?
Skandar: Yes, we exchange emails, we talk on the phone and we meet up when we can.
Q: And now Prince Caspian is about to be released are you looking forward to all the interviews and premieres?
Skandar: I am looking forward to seeing the finished film, or at least the scenes I wasn't in. And promoting the film, there can be some pretty cool moments. When “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” came out we all went to New York a couple times and to Tokyo, which was really great. I'm not so sure about doing interviews though.
Q: You'd rather be bungee jumping?
Skandar: Definitely. No question about that.
Q: And looking beyond Prince Caspian? Do you have plans to make more films?
Skandar: I'm playing Edmund again in the next Narnia film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” We begin shooting that at the end of the year.
(Opening across the Philippines on June 4, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.)