Ben Barnes ended pop career and landed lead role in Narnia blockbuster

Jun 8 2008 By John Millar

FOUR years ago Ben Barnes was a pop wannabe whose career looked over when his boy band failed to even qualify for Eurovision.

Last week, a building-sized poster of him in his new film was sitting beside one for Indiana Jones in Hollywood.

Ben, 26, still can't believe he has gone from flop pop star to landing the title role in blockbuster The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

The Brit has even been labelled the new Orlando Bloom.

Ben said: "Orlando Bloom has had a terrific run of success and makes huge movies.

"I am not in that league of action heroes but if you have to put some tag on me then the new Orlando is as good as any."

The new-found global stardom is aworld away from his time in boy band Hyrise.

Ben was at university studying English Literature when asked to join the group, who competed to represent Britain in Eurovision in 2004 with their track Leading Me On.

They lost out to Fame Academy competitor James Fox in the TV vote to choose a suitable act - and Ben quit the band the next day.

He said: "This is awful. I had always been singing and there is so much of my music stuff that I amreally proud of - like being a choirboy and doing The Messiah at St Mark's In The Fields - but this one song...

"I thought being in a band would be a laugh and the song was OK, catchy.

"Then they said we were singing it at Song For Europe the next week and I thought, 'No we aren't.'

"But the others wanted to and it was too late. The morning after I rang up and said, 'Sorry lads, I'm out.' I was in the band for about four weeks.

"I am thrilled we didn't win. Otherwise there is a small chance that I would not be sitting here."

In Prince Caspian - the most perfect Disney family film for the summer holidays - Ben plays the hero of the title, who has been ousted from the throne of Narnia by his evil uncle.

With help from the Pevensie children of the movie's prequel - 2005's The Lion, The Witch And TheWardrobe - and lion Aslan, he battles to reclaim his crown.

The film's makers spent more than a year looking for a leading man before casting Ben, whose biggest screen role had been a small part in Stardust alongside Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.

He said: "I knew there had been a long search and that there was only a short time before filming was due to start.

"That helped to relieve the pressure. In the back of my head there was the thought that I might be the guy they were looking for.

"I was also thinking that whoever walked into the audition next had a much better chance than the guy who had walked in 13 months ago."

Naturally, Ben was overjoyed when he got the call revealing he had won the part.

He said: "It was 3am and I was at home. I ran around my house screaming. It was like winning the FA Cup.

"It was too late to get a drink and I could not phone anyone, so I just ran around.

"I stayed up all night trembling. In the morning I felt as though I had dreamt it because I was so tired and delirious."

Ben was soon on set training to fight - and struggling to get used to his armour and being on horseback. He said: "I didn't have real chainmail, it was plastic, but the other bits were solid leather.

"I also had suede trousers and boots, so it was a pretty heavy costume.

"Some days when we were filming it was very hot.

"But you are not allowed to whinge on a Narnia set because there is always somebody more uncomfortable than you.

People have to spend three hours having prosthetic make-up put on, some spend all day on stilts and others have to wear an animatronic fur head all day.

"When they take it off, steam comes out.

"I was probably one of the more comfortable people on the whole set.

"When they asked if I had been on a horse before I said I had, which was true.

It might have been a Shetland pony when I was six but I had been on a horse."

As well as handling weapons and tackling dangerous stunts, filming was perilous due to many of the locations' deadly wildlife.

In Poland's forest, the crew had to beware of vipers, while the Czech Republic's countryside housed ferocious ticks.

But Ben was willing to suffer anything to be part of the epic movie, especially since he is a huge fan of CS Lewis's classic books.

The Londoner - whose next projects include an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, a film of Noel Coward's Easy Virtue and the third instalment in the Narnia series, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader - was just eight when he first read the fantasy tales.

He even dug out his old copies to help him prepare for his role.

Ben said: "My name was there in eightyear- old writing. It is quite embarrassing.

"There was a little sticker, a picture of a bear, and I had written, 'I can't BEAR to be without my books. The book belongs to Benjamin Barnes.'"

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian is out in cinemas on June 26.

NARNIA WHO'S WHO

AN all-star cast appears with Ben in Prince Caspian. They include:

Scots Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, far right, returns as evil White Witch Jadis.

Another Scot, Rebus star Ken Stott, right, provides the voice of loyal badger Trufflehunter.

Comic turned actor Eddie Izzard is another vocal star, lending his tones to feisty mouse Reepicheep.

Irish superstar Liam Neeson once again provides the roar of lion Aslan.

Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter return, again played by Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell and William Moseley.

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