The Chronicles of Narnia was a popular series of fantasy movies based on C.S. Lewis’s classic literary works of the same name, but audiences might not have been aware that the role of Prince Caspian was almost granted to Andrew Garfield before it eventually went to Ben Barnes. Since losing out on the opportunity, Garfield has spoken publicly about his audition process and the consequent reasons that he wasn’t given the part, though his career still managed to get off the ground, and he became one of the most beloved actors of his generation. In subsequent years, the actor has praised Barnes's portrayal of the character.
Prince Caspian is one of the Chronicles of Narnia franchise’s most important characters, fighting to reclaim his rightful title as the King of this fictional realm. Barnes reprised his role in the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, after making his on-debut in the second, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, with the character granting the actor an entirely new level of fame and opening several new doors for him. Although Garfield was understandably disappointed to have missed out on this chance, the two actors’ careers flourished in very different ways that might not have been so successful if they’d followed each other’s paths.
Why Andrew Garfield Lost Out On Playing Prince Caspian In The Chronicles Of Narnia
The reason that Andrew Garfield was rejected for the Prince Caspian role is extremely surprising given how successful and adored the actor has come to be. Garfield claimed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that the film’s crew didn’t consider him to be “handsome enough” to play the character. While it’s now impossible to imagine that Garfield would ever be rejected on the grounds of his looks, director Andrew Adamson believed that Barnes was more accurate to the version of Prince Caspian that most fans of the franchise would have built up in their minds.
Garfield was barely 20 years old at this point, and he’s since itted that the Chronicles of Narnia rejection had a pretty rough impact on his attitude toward the industry. He claimed that he was “so desperate” to find the role that would shoot him into the spotlight. Although Prince Caspian didn’t end up being that character for him, the actor clearly found success through other avenues and managed to overcome the rejection. Throughout his 20s, Garfield acquired several other roles that played into his good looks and heartthrob status — proving The Chronicles of Narnia wrong for suggesting that he wasn’t handsome enough to play Prince Caspian.
Garfield Losing Prince Caspian Was Actually A Good Thing After Narnia's Sequel Failures
While Andrew Garfield was understandably upset about losing this opportunity, it’s possible his rejection was actually a good thing for his future prospects. Although The Chronicles of Narnia was a well-received project that many critics praised for its accuracy to C.S. Lewis’s novels, the Narnia sequel adaptations failed since they were unable to capture the magic of the original. If Garfield had been cast as Prince Caspian, particularly at such an early age, this career trajectory might not have panned out as effectively as the one he was forced to take. The failure of the Narnia sequels could have damaged his reputation and ruined any chances of ing other franchises.
The reasons for the Narnia sequels failing were severalfold, with many audiences believing that they drifted too far from the original story — and many critics believing they were poorly paced without the same sharp writing. Barnes primarily survived the backlash against the Narnia sequels because of how much the audiences loved him as Prince Caspian, but there’s no denying that his career hasn’t been as commercially or critically successful as Garfield’s since then. If Garfield had been committed to this dying franchise for several more installments, he wouldn't have had the opportunities that ultimately came his way and allowed him to develop into a much more mature, Oscar-nominated actor.
Could Andrew Garfield Starring In Narnia Have Cost Him Spider-Man?
There’s also the possibility that starring as Prince Caspian would have prevented Andrew Garfield from eventually adopting the role of Spider-Man, which pushed him to an even higher level of fame and became more popular than The Chronicles of Narnia ever was. If he’d been cast as Prince Caspian, a warrior prince renowned for his charm and good looks, it’s unlikely that The Amazing Spider-Man’s crew would’ve even considered him for the nerdy, less charismatic Peter Parker. It would’ve also been a logistical nightmare, as the two franchises were happening at roughly the same time, and Garfield would have been tied up in other commitments.
