Profiles

In the week that the new film in the Chronicles of Narnia series is topping the American box office, one of its leading stars is back home in Oxford preparing to take part in a radically different production.

Anna Popplewell, who plays Susan Pevensie in Prince Caspian, will tread the boards in the controversial Spring Awakening at the Oxford Playhouse. She stars as Wendla in a tale of adolescent sexual discovery that was censored in Britain for over 80 years.

Frank Wedekind’s play is a confrontational depiction of sex, rape and homosexuality, quite a departure from her big screen appearances.

“The world Wedekind represents is certainly a very different one from Lewis' Narnia,” she explains. “Wendla is a really interesting character, precocious and outgoing but caught in the confusion of adolescence. She doesn't really understand what sex is and, in the repressed society she is brought up in, the adults around her are reluctant to explain. Studying this character has been a real challenge and comes with the added difficulty of having to reach the same emotional intensity every night on stage. It’s very different to working in film.”

You can watch Anna talking about fame, Narnia and her new role by clicking on the video link at the top of this page, or better still get yourself tickets to see the whole of this incredible student cast bring the story to life in person at The Oxford Playhouse.