The world of Narnia has captivated readers since British author C.S. Lewis launched his
seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series in 1950, with three live action film adaptations
becoming worldwide hits.
However, there were some key differences between the actors cast in leading roles and the characters
as Lewis described them in the books.
Here's how the cast of Chronicles of Narnia should really look.
For Narnia!
The White Witch
The big villain at the heart of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch
is described as "a great lady, taller than any woman that Edmund had ever seen.
She also was covered in white fur up to her throat and held a long straight golden wand
in her right hand and wore a golden crown on her head.
Her face was white — not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar, except
for her very red mouth.
It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern."
That's a pretty spot on description of actress Tilda Swinton's version of The White Witch,
except she had nude lipstick rather than that very red mouth.
Lucy Pevensie
The Pevensie siblings actually get some of the least detailed descriptions in the book
— perhaps because Lewis wanted children reading the books to imagine themselves in
the story and see Narnia through their eyes.
Still, there are a few details that separate the movie children from the book children,
beginning with Lucy.
In the book, Lucy doesn't get a physical description until she's a grownup, at which point Lewis
says she "was always gay and golden-haired, and all princes in those parts desired her
to be their Queen."
Actress Georgie Henley has brown hair, which doesn't fit with the description or the book's
illustrations, which show Lucy to be a blonde.
Edmund Pevensie
Though actor Skandar Keynes has brown hair and brown eyes, his character Edmund is described
in the books as being blonde with blue eyes.
The only other physical description Lewis provides for Edmund comes when he's betraying
his family for the White Witch's Turkish Delight, at which point he says "his face had become
very red and his mouth and fingers were sticky.
He did not look either clever or handsome, whatever the Queen might say."
"Could I, maybe, have a small Turkish Delight now?"
While Keynes the actor is likely clever and handsome in real life, he did a good job at
portraying the Turkish Delight fiend.
Peter Pevensie
Oldest sibling Peter also doesn't get much of a description until he's an adult, at which
point Lewis says he is "a tall and deep-chested man and a great warrior."
In the book's illustrations, he's usually pictured as having brown hair, while William
Moseley has dirty blonde locks.
Don't they have hair dye in Narnia?
"High King Peter, the Magnificent."
"You probably could have left off the last bit."
Susan Pevensie
Described by Lewis as the beautiful one in the family, the adult Susan is "a tall and
gracious woman with black hair that fell almost to her feet and the kings of the countries
beyond the sea began to send ambassadors asking for her hand in marriage."
Actress Anna Popplewell has long, dark brown hair, and although it doesn't quite reach
to her feet, Popplewell does possess the striking beauty that Lewis describes for the character.
And that fighting spirit, too.
Mr. Tumnus
C.S. Lewis' dream of the world of Narnia started with one image — a faun carrying parcels
in a snowy wood.
This faun, Mr. Tumnus, understandably gets a fair amount of description compared to other
characters in the books.
"He was only a little taller than Lucy herself and he carried over his head an umbrella,
white with snow.
From the waist upwards he was like a man, but his legs were shaped like a goat's (the
hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goat's hoofs.
He also had a tail, but Lucy did not notice this at first because it was neatly caught
up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from trailing in the snow.
He had a red woollen muffler round his neck and his skin was rather reddish too.
He had a strange, but pleasant little face, with a short pointed beard and curly hair,
and out of the hair there stuck two horns, one on each side of his forehead."
Lewis later adds that he has brown eyes.
James McAvoy's Mr. Tumnus has the goat legs, although the hair on them is brown rather
than glossy black, likely to match McAvoy's natural hair color.
While he does have the curly hair Lewis discusses, his skin isn't "rather reddish" and his eyes
are blue instead of brown.
Still: close enough.
At least he looks better than this guy:
"Welcome to Narnia, I'm Mr. Tumnus."
"Hey, give me back my sock you goat bastard!
Hey!"
Prince Caspian
Like the Pevensies, Prince Caspian doesn't get much of a description.
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lewis gives one of his only details about the Prince,
saying he's "a golden-haired boy."
This doesn't fit with Ben Barnes' dark-colored hair in the film.
At all.
But the big difference between the page and the screen is in age.
According to the books, Prince Caspian should be around 13 when the events of the film take
place.
Actor Ben Barnes was 27, and, while he could pass for slightly younger, he definitely didn't
look like a teenager.
So…not even close, really.
Trumpkin
Peter Dinklage's Red Dwarf Trumpkin wasn't quite as red as he was supposed to be.
While Dinklage's version of the surly character featured sandy blonde hair, the character
is actually described as having "an immense beard and whiskers of coarse red hair" that
is "rather like a Fox's."
Lewis also says that he has "twinkling black eyes," not fitting with Dinklage's blue-green.
Dinklage does have the "beak-like nose," which was added with prosthetics that were part
of the nearly three-hour make-up process for the part.
Eustace Scrubb
The first line of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader snarks "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence
Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
This line is one of the many ways that Lewis highlights Eustace's general intolerableness,
which the author implies is manifested through his physical appearance, describing him as
"a puny little person who couldn't have stood up even to Lucy."
Actor Will Poulter has experience playing insufferable characters, and he did a good
job with this one.
He captured Eustace's persona well, especially given the limited physical characteristics
Lewis provided.
However, he was a little too old for the part.
The actor was 16 when the movie was filmed, while Eustace is only supposed to be nine.
While he can pass for younger than mid-teens, the actor still didn't look quite as young
as the character was supposed to be.
Aslan
Lewis describes Aslan as being a big lion.
And… sure enough, he is.
Just... a big ol' lion.
Yup.
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