Before Andrew Garfield became the web-slinger we all know and love, he very nearly would have joined the Chronicles of Narnia franchise if it weren’t for one little thing — he just wasn’t handsome enough. Shucks.
Andrew Garfield told Entertainment Tonight (via Variety) that he was “desperate” to join the Chronicles of Narnia franchise. The second film in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, was looking to cast the title character and it came down to Andrew Garfield and Ben Barnes.
I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it.’ And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.
Andrew Garfield was so obsessed that he kept pestering his agent for the reason why they passed on him for the Prince Caspian role. “She eventually just broke under my incessant nagging and she was like, ‘It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew,’” Garfield said before adding, “Ben Barnes is a very handsome, talented man. So in retrospect, I’m not unhappy with the decision and I think he did a beautiful job.” Although Andrew Garfield may not have travelled to the land of Narnia, he soon found his own major success after his roles in Never Let Me Go and The Social Network paved the way for him to play Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise.
Ben Barnes would reprise the role of Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader before the franchise came to a premature end. Like Garfield, Barnes would later join the Marvel family as Billy Russo/Jigsaw in The Punisher. Garfield recently starred in Tick, Tick… Boom! on Netflix as well as some other movie that I don’t think anyone has seen.
Would you have liked to see Andrew Garfield in a Narnia movie?