The youngstar William Moseley about relationship, friends, fans and his existence as a glamorous homeless person.
Spielfilm.de: William, the promotion tour for Prince Caspian is nearly over. Are you happy about that?
William: In some ways…yes. It’s funny: You shoot a movie for 7 months, then you wait another 7 months until the movie is finished- And finally you sit around for half a year and talk about it with the press. Yes, I think I’m ready for my next film and I look forward to work on a set again.
Spielfilm.de: Which project will that be?
William: The movie is called “Ironclad” and it’s about the Magna Carta. We will shoot for 3 months in Berlin. I will be the youngest actor there on set- at Narnia I was often the oldest! Jonathan English, the director, doesn’t have much experience and just made one horror movie called “Minotaur”. Let’s see how it works…
Spielfilm.de: After all, Narnia brought you a worldwide name recognition and a big fancommunity.
William: Anyway… I get more fanpost than I expect. I really have to get on with answering.
Spielfilm.de: Did some fans mixed up your person with your character?
William: Of course! At premieres it happened, that people screamed “Peter, Peter”.
Spielfilm.de: Ironically it’s your second name.
William: Yeah, it’s my fathers name.
Spielfilm.de: Your father is a cameraman. Had he woke up your interests in films?
William: Actually no. I just auditioned for a role, when I was ten years old. And it was a lot of fun for me. I never had acted before. A few years later the same agent suggested me to join his agency. And I did. Later an audition for Narnia was offered me and it took 18 months until I got the part.
Spielfilm.de: An 18 months audition doesn’t sound really funny.
William: It was murderous. My filmpartner Anna Popplewell and me, luckily did this way together. It started with a few thousand kids and in the end for every character were only two kids left.
Spielfilm.de: Both of you also auditioned for Harry Potter- and obviously didn’t get the part. So you also know defeats?
William: Of course. In the age between ten and fifteen, I auditioned for a lot of parts and didn’t get most of them.
Spielfilm.de: How did it work with your driving license exam? Anna failed it 3 times and she still haven’t got the license.
William: I got mine! But certainly just at the second attempt. I also bought a car, an old Ford Fiesta for 350P.
Spielfilm.de: Oh my god. Probably we underestimated the Hollywood feeds quite a lot.
William: I just needed wheels with a cheap ensurance. Besides I live in a small town…and when the people there would see the “Narnia-Kid” driving around with a Porsche or something like that…
Spielfilm.de: It would correspond to the Hollywoodcliché.
William: Exactly. Maybe also with a director basecap and cool sunglasses? No, I want to avoid that. Save the money and drive a 350P crate. But I would like to buy an apartment in London.
Spielfilm.de: So you want to stay in Europe?
William: I think yes. I lived in Los Angeles for 8 months, at Hancock Park and Santa Monica. Somehow it isn’t my city, except you have got your own house at the beach.
But I think London is a good investment, because my sister want to live there, too. So I will buy an apartment with two bedrooms. So she can live there for free.
Spielfilm.de: So in the moment you live at your parents house?
William: Yeah. But actually I live out of a suitcase. Everywhere and nowhere. I am a kind of a glamorous homeless person.
Spielfilm.de: So can you, as a glamorous, maintain a relationship?
William: Yes! Absolutely! Earlier, relationships survived even wars. So I’m pretty sure, that this is possible.
Spielfilm.de: Is there someone special in your life?
William: Yes. But actually I don’t talk about this. It is no one from show business, that’s not my style. None of my friends is an actor. For example my best friend is an engineer and at the moment he works in Shanghai.
Spielfilm.de: As a teen star it’s, on the one side, easy to get to know girls. On the other side it’s complicated, because you don’t know what their real motivation is.
William: Right! So you have to rely on your instinct. The body language shows you a lot. You must be very stupid to be out for a use by a fan. If you look accurate at the reactions of someone, you really get a good impression, what the person really wants.
Spielfilm.de: So you are a good observer?
William: I grew up quite normal and native, surrounded with honest people. So you make out the dishonest quite fast.
Spielfilm.de: Besides you took private drama lessons in New York. Did that also helps you in knowledge of the human nature?
William: Of course! It was my own decision and had nothing to do with Narnia. I also had a very good drama teacher in Los Angeles. It just belongs to my job. An athlete also trains continuous with his coach.
Spielfilm.de: How do you manage the pressure on set?
William: Very different. Pressure can be positive, for instance at fighting scenes, where you can let out your energy. But when it goes around little scenes, which has to be finished before the sun goes down or it starts to rain, because if not would have to wait another week to do this scene again- That really can get on your nerves.
Spielfilm.de: How do you associate with this?
William: Music is a big help. A good song of Bob Dylan removes you directly in a different world, so that you can uncouple yourself from the bustle on set, and focus yourself on the character.
Spielfilm.de: Then you should work with Cameron Crowe. He always has special music on set to get the actors in the proper mood for the next scene.
William: Andrew Adamson, our director, also did that. When I marched out with sword and shield in the film, he played “Jesus Walks” from Kanye West. I really felt like “Rocky”. (laughs)
Spielfilm.de: Narnia is based on Christian motivation and Andrew Adamson is very religious. Do you noticed that on set?
William: Yes, he took the whole thing very personal, at the first film more than on the second. I think, at the second he overdid himself a little bit. I really try to express it as nice as possible, because I think he is a genius. But I remember, how he ,even at lunch, sat in front of a few notebooks to read drafts and give his blessing to it. He was always so busy, that it was hard for us to get into his world.
Spielfilm.de: So he probably let you no freeroom for improvisation?
William: Right. Maybe at the tests… but otherwise? When I told Andrew, that I didn’t like a special sentence, he told me fifty different reasons, why this sentence only could be like that and not differently. It’s impossible to discuss with Andrew about the text. (grins)
Spielfilm.de: Anyway, acting is your life?
William: Absolutely. In the meantime I made up my final school exams, because of Narnia I had to repeat a year. But the university is probably not my thing. At least I could go to university, If it won’t work with acting.
Spielfilm.de: Well, it isn’t that easy to focus on schoolmarks, while you play the High King of Narnia.
William: You might think that, but it isn’t. You have got your part in Narnia, your life on set and your private life- with school, friends and relationships. I can separate these lifes quite good.
Spielfilm.de: I can’t imagine, it’s easy to keep in touch with friends and family, while you shoot for months in New Zealand or Eastern Europe.
William: That’s right. Especially because I’m not registered at “Facebook”, in contrast to my friends. I think it has a bad influence on kids and youths. You can look easily in the life and the private life of other people. That’s why I confine myself to E-mails.
Spielfilm.de: Another dream of you is directing a film some time. Were you able to get in touch with some of your idols?
William: Yes. For example Guillermo del Toro, the director of “Pans Labyrinth” and “Hellboy”. Original Guillermo should direct Narnia, but he wanted to leave out the religious aspects and the resurrection. I told him Narnia and “Pans Labyrinth” are very similar. In both movies a little girl steps to a magical world. And he said: “Right, ‘Pans Labyrinth’ is like a Narnia, which was left in the rain.”. The guy is so right! I really would like to work with him!
