James McAvoy is reminiscing about his time filming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Speaking at New York Comic-Con on October 12, the actor reflected on the filming of the 2005 fantasy movie, in which he portrayed Mr. Tumnus, the kind-hearted faun who befriends Lucy Pevensie.
McAvoy shared that he grew particularly close to Georgie Henley, who was just 8 years old when she played Lucy.
“He was a great guy — a great director — just hoping we’d get along. And she was a really young girl at the time. I don’t think she’d acted before, so I just spent a lot of time with Georgie and her family, and they were really lovely.”
The Scottish actor, 46, recalled the film’s production as both surreal and enchanting. “Just being on those little sets is bonkers,” he said. “You get used to things, but at first, I was like, ‘Oh! Oh!’ You know what I mean?”
He also reflected on the dreamlike quality of the experience as they shot the film in New Zealand. “You weren’t texting back then — you were just alone with it,” McAvoy noted. “Maybe I’d phone home once a day, but otherwise, you’re in New Zealand, so you’re like on another planet.”
