Lucy From Narnia Is Unrecognizably Gorgeous Now
Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia is all grown up!
Anyone who grew up in early aughts is sure to remember the breathtaking Chronicles of Narnia film series about four siblings who discover a magical world on the other side of an old wardrobe. The first movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was released in 2005, catapulting its four young stars to fame. Georgie Henley was cast as Lucy Pevensie, the youngest of the four fictional siblings, and was only seven years old when she was chosen for the role.
Since appearing in the first three Narnia films, Henley's career has been filled with smaller productions — in fact, to this day, The Chronicles of Narnia franchise remains her largest project. But what exactly has she been up to since leaving the magical world of Narnia? As it turns out, little Lucy Pevensie is all grown up. In fact, the child star is practically unrecognizable now — and she's actually starting to forge a pretty interesting creative career for herself! Read on to discover how Georgie Henley from the Narnia series grew up to become gorgeous, both inside and out!
Georgie Henley and the Narnia cast were an adorable on-set family from the start
Lucy from the Narnia film series grew up feeling as if her fictional siblings were her actual, real-life siblings.
Georgie Henley's rise to fame began when she was cast in the Chronicles of Narnia series at just seven years old. Her character, Lucy, was the youngest of four siblings — with the others being played by William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, and Skandar Keynes (via IMDb). As Henley explained to The Sunday Times, life on set wasn't easy at first. However, Henley and her co-stars soon ended up being like a real family on set.
In the blooper reel for the first movie, viewers can see the four siblings laughing and singing together on set. And in an interview for the second Chronicles of Narnia movie, Henley explained how Ben Barnes — a newcomer to the on-set family — "was like another big brother" to her. In 2020, Henley posted some throwback photos from the Narnia set on her Instagram account, writing, "Honestly, all we did was smile every single day." She continued, writing, "We're so lucky, lucky, lucky."
Even as a child star, Georgie Henley had to deal with insecurities and bullying
Playing Lucy in the Narnia franchise was a wonderful experience for Georgie Henley, but the real-world was a different story for the young star.
Henley spoke to The Sunday Times in 2018 and revealed that she was actually the victim of some pretty harsh bullies as a kid. "I was bullied mercilessly; people were so awful to me at school," she explained. Apparently, living the life of a movie star made the bullying worse rather than better. "[It] was worsened by the films that I had done, by me being in and out of school," Henley confessed.
The bullying got so bad that Henley downplayed her acting achievements and avoided acting in school productions. Apparently, she was too scared to act at school until her final year. After growing up a little more, Henley wished she had been braver when being bullied as a kid. "I should have had the confidence to be proud of what I did," she said. It certainly sounds like Henley is a perfect example of how even child stars can go through difficult times at school.
Georgie Henley admits that being in Narnia changed her life
Being Lucy from the Narnia film series changed Georgie Henley's life.
As kids (and even as adults), many people daydream about being plucked out of obscurity and catapulted to a life of stardom. For Georgie Henley, this dream became a reality. Apparently, she was recommended by a local drama teacher (via What's On Stage). As Henley said to The Times, "I was just plucked from nowhere." She continued, telling the publication that she really was inexperienced at the beginning, and had even started to cry on her first day when she had to film her scene over and over again because the young actress she thought she was "getting it wrong." Poor kid!
"Narnia gave me everything I have now," Henley told What's On Stage. She continued, revealing, "Travelling the world and meeting all those people gave me the hope that I could carry on with acting as a career." Sounds like Henley's entire acting career was based on one lucky childhood audition. Talk about fate taking a hand!
Georgie Henley went to one of the world's best universities
Portraying Lucy in the Narnia films eventually had to come to an end, pushing Georgie Henley to fill her time with other projects — like getting into an esteemed university!
When Henley's time in The Chronicles of Narnia film franchise came to an end, she decided to take a break from professional acting. "I went on and had a normal school life," she told What's On Stage. In 2013, it was announced by the Yorkshire Post that Henley had accepted a place at the world-famous Cambridge University to study English after receiving excellent marks in her final year of school. The university is listed as being the ninth best in the world, proving that the star is whip smart.
Henley spoke to What's On Stage about her university experience, saying, "Getting to Cambridge and being more anonymous was invaluable." She continued, revealing, "English Literature was also a great subject, as I got to study some of my favourite writers." It sounds like Henley was really craving a bit of normality after years in the spotlight — and who can blame her?
Georgie Henley didn't want a drama degree
After portraying Lucy in Narnia film franchise, Georgie Henley decided to diversify her acting experience.
When Henley arrived at Cambridge, she wasn't shy about getting involved in the student theater scene. In fact, she did plenty of student productions of all shapes and sizes. "The theatre scene in Cambridge is incredible, and I'm lucky that I was part of intimate productions like David Hare's Skylight, or huge musicals like the Cambridge Footlights pantomime," the actress told What's On Stage.
Henley went into more detail in an interview with The Varsity about how acting in student theater productions taught her more about her beloved craft. "I get so nervous when I'm acting, but I find that when I'm onstage I completely forget my nerves," she explained. As Henley explained, she found theater to be a whole new type of experience. The actress told The Varsity, "I can't really work out whether I prefer acting for theatre or film, but there are definitely different pressures." So, while Henley didn't pursue as many professional film roles while at Cambridge, she certainly gained a vast theatrical education!
Georgie Henley wants to change the way the world views child stars
Playing Lucy in the Narnia film franchise gave Georgie Henley a unique perspective on stardom — especially child stardom.
When it comes to child stars, few movie franchises (other than, perhaps, Harry Potter), have produced such recognizable child stars as the Chronicles of Narnia series. The movies were hugely successful at the time of their release, with the first movie drawing in over $745 million worldwide — it's safe to say that Henley got a good taste of life in the public eye at the time!
As Henley grew up, she started to recognize issues with how the industry treats its youngest stars. Henley took to Twitter to write about how hard it is to transition to from child actor to adult actor, revealing, "When you've acted as a child and you continue to act as an adult, for some reason people want you to fail." She continued, musing, "'Disney kid gone off the rails' is a self-perpetuating cycle." Using her personal experience to call out the unhealthy industry attitude towards child stars definitely took some guts — and made us admire Henley even more.
Georgie Henley moved beyond the "child star" label
Playing Lucy in the Narnia film series might have jumpstarted Georgie Henley's career — but the actress quickly proved she wasn't scared to move on from the role that made her famous.
It's clear that Henley has more than earned her stripes over the years. In 2014, the young actress starred in the thriller The Sisterhood of Night – and in a review by Variety, Henley was singled out for her performance. "Adorably earnest as she was then [as Lucy Pevensie in Chronicles of Narnia], she's a quietly bewitching presence here, a performer who truly does seem to warrant her own cultlike following," the publication noted.
In 2018, Henley went on to star in a heavy-hitting two-person play at London's Southwark Playhouse called Angry. What's On Stage reviewed the production and raved about Henley's performance, writing, "Henley's physical control and ability to construct countless individuals feels uncannily effortless and, for a performer making their professional stage debut, this no doubt bodes well for the future." It's clear critics have long been impressed with Henley's skills!
Georgie Henley wrote and directed a short film of her very own
While playing Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia franchise proved her acting chops, Georgie Henley has plenty of other film-related talents, as well.
According to IMDb, Henley directed and written her own short film, called Tide. As explained by The Varsity, the star had been thinking about the idea for the film for five years before she made it. Eventually, she made the film while she was still attending Cambridge. Henley explained that it felt like the perfect time, telling The Varsity, "There's so much talent in Cambridge and so many resources that I wanted to make the most of, that I thought, 'Why not?'"
While Tide was just a small production that Henley made with her university friends, it was deemed a success. Plenty of people took to Twitter to praise her work, with one one user commenting, "A beautiful touching story with really nice photography." while Another fan gushed that Henley had created "something so beautiful and important." Obviously, audiences have had no trouble noticing just how multitalented this former child star really is.
Georgie Henley has proven she cares about more than just stardom
Playing Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia almost certainly came with a big paycheck (as the film had quite a hefty budget). However, Georgie Henley has proven she isn't afraid to take on some less-than-lucrative roles.
In fact, many of Henley's projects have been pretty low budget in comparison to The Chronicles of Narnia franchise. In addition to writing and directing her own short film, Tide, Henley has also appeared in a couple of somewhat experimental short films made by her friends. In 2018, she shared photos on Instagram from the set of a short film called Paradise that she made with friend Caryn Waechter. The three-minute long artistic film can be seen on Vimeo; however, viewer beware: It's a far cry from the plot-driven movies most of Henley's fans have become accustomed to!
In 2019, Henley starred in another short film called Girl, SWEETVOICED. Based on the poetry of Sappho, the flick proved to be another incredibly artistic piece. Like a true master of her craft, it seems that Henley is perfectly happy making work that she finds artistically rewarding.
Georgie Henley is a published poet
The bookish and curious Lucy from Narnia would probably totally approve of one of Georgie Henley's other passions: poetry!
That's right: Henley's talents don't stop at acting and directing. As it turns out, this star has actually written and published a few poems of her own. In 2020, she took to Instagram to announce that two of her poems, "Midtown" and "Vita," were published in an anthology by Cipher Press. As Henley explained, the poems were all about her experience of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. She wrote in the caption, "I don't think I'm an especially tactile person so was surprised at how much I missed touch as lockdown progressed, and how certain memories became more like fever dreams."
Two of Henley's other poems, "Encroach" and "Appraisal," were also published online in 2020 by Clavmag, along with accompanying recordings made by Henley herself. Additionally, some of her poems were published in the second issue of Fourteen Poems. It seems that poetry helped Henley stay busy, creative, and artistic, even during a dark time. Who needs a wardrobe to escape to another land when you can harness the power of words?
Georgie Henley is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness
Portraying Lucy in the Narnia film series definitely made a cultural impact. However, Georgie Henley has tried her best to make a positive social impact, as well.
Henley is passionate when it comes to mental health. There have been multiple instances where the star has spoken up about the importance of acknowledging depression and anxiety. On World Mental Health Day in both 2018 and 2019, Henley posted personal and candid Instagram captions about her passion for mental health advocacy.
In her 2018 Instagram post, the actress left a positive message to fans, writing, "Look after each other and look after yourself. Progress is not linear, crying can be as beneficial as laughing, all things will pass." And in 2019, Henley used her caption to express her gratefulness for social media as a platform on which people can open up about their mental health. The actress went on to confess that she had been through some tough times, but assured fans that she was learning to be kinder to herself. "We deserve the love that we give to others, we deserve to give that same energy to ourselves," Henley wrote.
Georgie Henley is a proud feminist
The little girl who played Lucy in the Narnia film franchise is now a proud, outspoken feminist.
In addition to her advocacy for mental health issues, Georgie Henley frequently takes to social media to express and advocate for the power of women. For instance, in 2017, the star tweeted a photo of herself wearing a shirt that simply read, "Feminist." In the caption for the photo, Henley wrote, "I am a feminist. Today on [International Women's Day], as always, I believe in equality for ALL women: queer women, trans women, women of colour, disabled women." Talk about a bold, straightforward attitude to women's equality!
In 2019, Henley again proclaimed her feminist inclinations on Instagram, where she wrote, "Today I'm sending love to all the women in my life who are so very wonderful, to the women who inspire me and have blazed a trail for us all, and to myself because I'm always my biggest critic and I want to become my biggest fan." Henley seems to have a super healthy approach to calling people out (including herself) when they don't stick up for women. It doesn't get much cooler than that!
Georgie Henley is still super close with her Narnia crew
Lucy from the Narnia film franchise continues to have adventures with her fictional siblings.
Even though Georgie Henley's career has dramatically changed since her days in the forests of Narnia, she and the rest of the Pevensie gang are still just as close as ever. In 2016, Henley told The Varsity, "Whenever we can see each other, we do." She continued, explaining, "We spent so much time together that we genuinely are so close." According to The Times, Henley is actually neighbors with her co-star, Anna Popplewell. And considering Henley posted images on Instagram in 2018 from Popplewell's 30th birthday party, it's safe to say they're still pretty close.
In 2019, Henley and her co-stars reunited for an emotional reunion as part of a Disney+ series called Prop Culture. In a video Henley posted about the experience on Instagram, the star gushed, "I'll never be able to describe how lucky I feel for my Narnian family." For these former costars, family is forever — even fictional families. We love to see it!
Georgie Henley's star is still on the rise
The experience of playing Lucy in the Narnia film franchise might end up being especially helpful to Georgie Henley during her next foray into fantasy-land.
It's pretty clear that Henley's career was a bit more low-key following her Narnia years. And considering her indie film roles and the low budget student short film that she directed, it would be easy to assume that Henley's stardom has dimmed for good. However, Henley has actually been tied to a few major, career-boosting projects. For instance, in 2019, Henley starred in the Starz drama, The Spanish Princess. Henley portrayed the famous historical figure Meg Tudor, who eventually became the Queen of Scotland.
Henley's biggest casting news, however, came after she'd scored and shot her Spanish Princess role, when it was announced that she had been cast in a prequel series to the major HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones (via The Hollywood Reporter). While her role has yet to be revealed at the time of this writing, it's safe to say Narnia fans are undoubtedly thrilled to see Henley return to her fantasy franchise roots.