femalenetwork.com

You're looking at Ben Barnes, the newest British bloke on the block who makes his film debut in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian this year. He plays the highly coveted role of Caspian, the rightful heir to the kingdom of the Pevensies more than a thousand years after they left Narnia. Looking at the Narnia promotionals in the cinemas makes us wonder why Caspian should be obscenely hot--then again we're not complaining.

It's not just for his looks that we've fallen for, too. He's originally from the theater, and was in fact discovered while he was working in the West End production of The History Boys--so we're guessing how disciplined and talented he must be. We weren't wrong when Director Andrew Adamson himself confirmed that! "We found him charming and fun and comfortable. He won us over," Adamson recalls. "You could see from his effort and enthusiasm how much he wanted the role. I admired his work ethic." Also, aside from mastering Narnia when he was a kid, he quickly learned horseback riding, dialect lessons, fencing and stunts in New Zealand.

He was also eager to meet William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley, who play the four Pevensies returning to Narnia a year after they stepped out of the wardrobe, and after thousands of years in Narnia time. Sadly, this film will be the last for William and Anna, who, so to speak, are passing the torch to Ben. Fortunately, his talent, good nature and maturity won the younger kids over. "Ben had a lot to live up to before we'd even met him," says Anne Popplewell who plays Susan. "Especially for William and me, because we knew that we were not in the next story. We were, in a sense, passing the films onto someone whom we really liked. He had that something that we very much connected with."

What exactly does Caspian do in the new installment of Narnia? He fights an evil uncle and tries to get support among Narnians when he blows the magic horn that summons the Pevensie children back to the fantasy world. As the High King above all the other kings of the past, present, and future Narnia, Peter recognizes Caspian as the rightful ruler, but not without some trouble at first.

Catch Ben Barnes when The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opens in Manila on June 4.