Absolutely Anna Popplewell

On 16 December 1988 Anna Katherine Popplewell was born in London to a doctor mother and lawyer father, the eldest of three children. At age six, Anna began attending drama classes at Allsorts Drama school. “Allsorts” has an agency which allows children the opportunity to work professionally in film and television. Anna started acting as a fluke, drama being the only program available for her age. She loved it, and landed a talent agent who introduced her to her first role. Anna marveled in her debut as a bratty “devil” child in the BBC Drama Frenchmen’s creek. Soon after she filmed another BBC production, but this time a highly distributed film with Miramax – Mansfield Park.

In 2000, a ten-year-old Anna was chosen to play the love-struck vampire Anna Sackville-Bagg in New Line’s The Little Vampire, alongside American child star Jonathon Lipinski, which was released internationally. After TLV, Anna quickly picked up many more roles, mainly all British projects and period pieces thanks to her unique timely appearance – porcelain skin, ebony hair, crystal blue eyes, bee-stung lips and freckles. The most notable piece was playing the loveabley cruel Maertje in Girl with A Pearl Earring. In her first big-screen production, Anna played alongside her Vampire co-star Rollo Weeks, as well as Scarlett Johanssen and Colin Firth, the two leads.

Anna’s younger sibling’s followed in her acting footsteps. Anna, Lulu Popplewell (Love, Actually) and Freddie Popplewell (Peter Pan) made a pact at an early age to pool their money with each other, as to avoid competition. Anna even performed with her sister in the BBC drama Love in a Cold Climate (2001).

The auditions for The Chronicles of Narnia began in 2003, and after a year and a half, Anna was finally narrowed down from thousands of other hopefuls for the part of the sensible older Pevensie sister, Susan. Anna was chosen mainly because of her similarities to this character – being sensible, intelligent, and mature. While filming Narnia, Anna experienced living by herself on the New Zealand set for six months, and took responsibility of household chores and playing psuedo-mother to her younger co-stars. When The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was released December 2005, Anna was seen in one of the highest grossing movies of the year, garnering many fans and recognition. Anna reprised her role as the teenage Susan Pevensie in 2008’s Prince Caspian. As Susan Pevensie does not return to Narnia for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Anna is not signed to participate in any Narnia sequels but remains in contact with her co-stars (Skandar Keynes’ Edmund Pevensie lives down the street from her family’s house in Highgate)!

Anna is still attached to the Narnia world — she happens to be studying literature at the University at Oxford’s Magdalene School, which Narnia creator C.S. Lewis attended and contributed to the Inkling’s, which evolved into the Narnia books of latter (she swears not to know this at the time she applied)! Anna still practices acting, taking part in Oxford’s award-winning drama production’s, as well as making time for hobbies including cello, lacrosse, and art. Anna plans to jump back to acting on the big screen after graduation, and is currently reading bits and pieces, looking for her next big role!

WRITTEN BY ALEXX FOR APOPPLEWELL.ORG