Advice: Auditioning For the Role of Jill Pole

Since the release of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we at NarniaWeb have received almost daily inquiries about auditioning for the role of Jill Pole in The Silver Chair. After the release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, these inquiries have risen to almost unbelievable levels. We wanted to take this opportunity to give some information about the film industry and answer the questions that folks may have about how to acquire a role.

Pre-Production and Greenlighting

Before casting begins for a film, there are several steps that take place. A script is written (or at least begun), the story is pitched to the studio, and the studio then “greenlights” the film, which means that the production is formally approved and financed. After the film is greenlit, it then enters pre-production, during which the script is finalized and plans are made for the actual shooting of the film. It is during this pre-production stage that casting is done.

Casting and Auditions

The casting process for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was somewhat unique in that casting director Pippa Hall held many public auditions when searching for the four Pevensie children. These auditions were generally held at schools around the UK, with children from the drama clubs being invited to attend. This is not typical, though, and usually a casting director will work directly with agents and industry contacts to come up with a list of potential actors to fill a specific role. Several actors are given auditions and the director and producers together decide which one will best play the part. This is the way that Will Poulter was cast for the role of Eustace.

Occasionally there will be open auditions for extras at a film location shoot. When that information becomes available we always post it at NarniaWeb.

Silver Chair Status

The future of the Narnia movies depends on the box office results for each film. If The Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn’t do well enough in theaters, it is likely that there will not be any further Narnia films. If it is successful (and no one is sure exactly what the threshold of success is in the eyes of the studio), then Walden and Fox will likely move forward and attempt to get another Narnia film greenlit.

In interviews the producers have mentioned that they are considering The Silver Chair as well as The Magician’s Nephew for the next film. This could mean that The Silver Chair would be skipped or passed over temporarily, or that both films could be made at the same time. There are any number of possibilities, but the reality is that the future of the franchise and The Silver Chair is very much in limbo right now. It also goes without saying that production for The Silver Chair has not been greenlit and is not currently looking for any actors for the simple reason that there is no production.

Advice

If you are interested in auditioning for the role of Jill Pole or any other character in a Narnia film, the best advice that we can give is to 1) get involved with a local drama group to hone your skills and 2) hire an agent who can acquire an audition for you with the casting director when the time comes. There likely won’t be any public auditions. This is simply the way that Hollywood works.

Another question that we are often asked is about what the producers are looking for. Again, since there are no producers and no production (yet), we have no idea. During the casting process for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Pippa Hall was quoted as saying that she felt that there were so many brilliant British actors that there was no need to look for someone who could “fake” a British accent. So our expectation is that the producers would probably look to the UK first to fill the role of Jill Pole.

Conclusion

To sum this all up, The Silver Chair has not yet been greenlit so there are no roles yet to be filled. If you are interested in auditioning for a role when one becomes available, we recommend that you hire an agent who can acquire an audition for you when the time comes. Good luck!

1,747 Responses

  1. Edmund's Queen says:

    Well, at least you only have a few years left of it, right? What grade are you in?

  2. Laura123 says:

    Pleeease if you read this give an opinion of me for the role of Jill 🙂

  3. the other Pevensie girl says:

    Yippee skippy! 😀 I'm following you both now (: I've had a blog for a while, it's at http://www.theadventuresofaonewomanband.blogspot.com enjoy!

  4. Gem says:

    Yes, I agree. Jill can be done two ways: absolutely brillantly and better than we could have ever imagined, or she can completely ruin SC because she's played bad. There will defintely be a lot of pressure on whoever is cast as her.

  5. Gem says:

    Well actually I just moved from my home state to a new state a few months ago, so I don't plan on moving anywhere else new for quite a while. Even for a chance to get an agent and try out as Jill, I don't think I'd do it.

  6. Gem says:

    Emilee- yes I do think we talk a lot. And I agree with you, Emilee. And with you in some aspects, Queen Elizabeth. Jill doesn't have to be British, but I do think she needs to have a British aceent, and I guess the best and most sensible way to get that accent would be to cast a girl from England.

  7. Reepicheeps Archer says:

    i went on deviant art and saw the jill pole with Aslan on the cliff pic with the link and although she looks perfect for the part im afraid that might be the scence in LWW where Aslan is talking to Edmund on the cliff. mabey they just took Edmund out of the pic somehow and replaced him with her i dont know how they could do that but mabey some way some how they did.

  8. Reepicheeps Archer says:

    yeah it is the same scence cuz if you look carefully youll see that the background is the same and shes even wearing clothes similar to Eds.

  9. Diggory kirke and Prince Rilian says:

    I hope by the will of the living God that a miracle will happen and I will bs cast as prince rilian. I want to work with Ben barnes sooo badly. I can pull of a good Mediterranean accent like in PC. That can show for that I could be related to Caspian. I just hope I can pull it off with out angent. Seriously it is not fair that u cant audition without an agent. I need money for college and I won't get it unless I am in a movie. I have a talent for acting. I got to use or lose it!!! I must be in SC or MN

  10. Diggory Kirke/Prince Rilian says:

    Yes I have done 3 commercial, and a LOT of plays

  11. Edmund's Queen says:

    Hey other Pevensie girl! I love your blog. I'm into music too. In fact, I just wrote a song called "Why" today. Is commenting disabled on your blog? 'Cause I tried and it didn't work. (BTW, I'm a follower now)
    To Queen Elizabeth: You're not showing up on my followers list anymore for some reason. And have you seen Princess Jennifer lately? Her comments were removed from the Liam Neeson post along with sarah's and I haven't heard from her since.

  12. Diggory Kirke/Prince Rilian says:

    God all has a plan for us. We may want to be in the next Narnia because God has put a desire in your heart. He may be calling to you for the movie. And you may also want to b in the movie. its like what Aslan said in The Silver Chair "you would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." God may have been calling to you which is why you want to be in the movie. Maybe thats how it is with me

  13. Emilee says:

    Who me?

  14. Emilee says:

    haha oh yes I agree, but I guees people have there own oppion. I just hope whoever gets it has a british accent.

  15. Emilee says:

    Yes, I hope they get someone who matches how C.S Lewis described her perfectly! I mean they should go off on how the book goes not what they think would be good.

  16. LordoftheFauns says:

    Well, it would be rather difficult to come up with an image based on a movie that hasn't even been written yet, lol. I think whoever made it is pretty clever 🙂

    I think what the real statement trying to be made here is: that's Jill pole. That's, imo, who most people may envision as Jill (I definitely see it) and I would be thrilled to see this young lady on Narnia's big screen… provided she can act the part 😉

  17. sailor says:

    It's great you all have dreams and ambitions. I'm sure many of you can do a Brit accent.
    However for the production to cast first from British Children makes perfect sense. Can I point out it is VERY hard for us British actors to get work in the states! You have some of the toughest unions on the planet. For a UK actor or Australian or any non US citizen to get a role in a US production being made IN the US, the production company has to basically prove that no American actor is suitable. UK actors deserve the same protections for there jobs. That being said, if you can get an agent and submit a Show reel AND the producers think you ARE Jill Pole, then they will do everything they can to help. Ultimately a casting director wants the right person for the role.

  18. sailor says:

    Some of you are saying you cannot afford an Agent. If an Agent wants money to put you on the books STAY AWAY .. These agents make money from fees NOT from finding you work! It should not cost you money to have an agent. They may want you to prove you can act. You need one good 8×10 black and white (colour if you prefer) headshot. Just head and shoulders. You do NOT need a portfolio or glamourous photos (that's a rip off) . A casting director wants a picture in front of them that looks like you. They will not be happy to get a glamour shot arrange to see you and then see you look NOTHING like your photo

  19. sailor says:

    As I said further down the page an Agent should not cost you anything. If they want money to put you on the books thats how they MAKE money, by charging fees. A real Agent will make money from the 10% they get paid for finding you work.

  20. narniafan says:

    hey wouldn't it be cool if johnny depp was to play puddleglum!!

  21. cloggs says:

    umm yer no i only have a few months left. it differnt in england . im in year 11. we can stay for another 2 years thats called sixth form or you can leave. so im leaving and hopfully going to a drama collage in london. how about you?

  22. Gemma says:

    im from the uk and i have been involved in all of the school plays my school have produced and i would love when the auditions come to the uk and i hopefully get the chance to audition for the role of Jill Pole x x

  23. Ella says:

    to be honest you dont really need an Mediterranean accent because have you noticed how caspian in vdt has an english accent anyway so if he has an english accent his son doesnt need one!

  24. Ella says:

    sorri that was meant to be for the one above :/ your names are yoo simular! sorry 🙂

  25. Fairytalelady says:

    Dear Kathrine, God loves us. He loves you. In the begining God made man. He made man with the ability to make his own decisions. But man decided to turn away from God and not listen to him. It was are own choice. That is why we have wars and suffering, because we sinned and no longer follow God. As for christians having a bad time that is because, people who do not follow God, persercute us sometimes, and God will not stop them because other wise they would be robots, he wants them to have their own free will. God may not stop them, but he does send us angles to protect us phisicly, if people abuse us with words, then he comforts us, and if people hurt us with actions, then he heals the wounds and makes it turn out for the better. I realy hope that this explains some things to you and helps you to understand!

  26. Amy says:

    thats super sweet of you, could you give me advice

  27. Amy says:

    ur aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawsome! thx

  28. Amy says:

    To Katherine, i cordially dare to read it,aaaaaaaaall of it,

    the world is full of evil and crime because people are evil to the core,theres not one good person in the world or beyond and i don’t get where you’r(not sarcastic or mean please explain to me and ill try explain to you)comming from how is god causing pollution and damage in the world? i have had a fairly easy life(im 16), but like everyone i have had my pains and moments when i wished i was dead, but i’v come out stronger, not through my own strength ,but allowing God to heal me, infact i don’t know if id be a believer if i hadn’t had pain. Many,many times in life the answer is i don’t know,i don’t think we’re ment to know everything,but ill tell you one thing i do know, when i die , me and my life won’t amount to nothing , even if my throught is slit and im not buried propely i will make sure my life brings glory to God and His love is the only thing that can make me amount to anything. Even if i don’t get this role i won’t (im echoing a touth pastor) end up in a old movie nobody wants , im in God’s story (wich lasts forever) and to Jesus be the glory. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall my love and prayers, amy

    Reply

  29. eclipse14 says:

    All my life I've dreamed of being in the Narnia or LOTR movies (like either will ever happen). But I wish I could be Polly Plummer! I look a bit like her in the Pauline Baynes illustrations 'cause I have long blonde hair, but I am NO actor! I wish I could but I can't. I'd make a whole movie of bloopers myself!

  30. the other Pevensie girl says:

    Thanks! 😀 Yours is awesome too! Hmm, I'll have to check that out, I don't know why that wouldn't work. Pshh, technology. Oi. Ooooh, you should post your song on your blog! I'll bet it's awesome! (:

  31. emily says:

    Hi, so like the narnia movies are my favourite in the whole intire world i would any thing just to have a chance at auditioning for the role of jill i have expirinence in acting BUT I LIVEIN AUSTRALIA i really think that they should do at least 1 audition in every country so every 1an have a chance i am a christine so i cant film on saturdays and i want this more than anything ive been practiseing my english accent and i dont think we can afford an aggent can some please tel me of any auditions to play jill. its my dream

  32. ashley says:

    please emily can u give any advice its myy dream to play jill how did you get an agentthanks 🙂

  33. ashley says:

    i saw jill pole on the cliff too dont man to be rude but not how i pictured what jill be like

  34. Diggory Kirke/Prince Rilian says:

    Right Ella I dont need a Med. accent. But this morning I woke up and I could speak in a very convincing British accent. I am American but I now have a british accent too.

  35. Diggory Kirke/Prince Rilian says:

    Re: Sailor.
    I understand sailor but we reaally cant control out government anymore. But I do appreciate the Britih for their proper manners and CORRECT ENGLISH!! Plus If I can get to the UK i could try to audition.

  36. Diggory Kirke/Prince Rilian says:

    I would be perfect for the role of Prince Rilian. I have had enough exprience to be in a movie. I have been in 3 commercials and a lot of plays!!

  37. Queen Elizabeth says:

    Yea Edmund's Queen I was reading your blog the other day and it said I wasn't your follower. I'll have to re-do it 🙂 (By the way I posted my Ed column)
    To The Other pevensie girl: I love music too. I don't write it or anything but if I'm ever having a bad day music makes me feel better.

  38. I want to post an audio of me singing "Why" and "Change", the two songs I wrote, but I'm worried about copyright stuff. Well, now that I think about it, you two are like the only ones visiting my blog, so it should be fine. I'll work on that. 🙂

  39. Oh, sounds confusing. I'm in 11, and 12 will be my last year. Then…who knows? Actress? Singer/songwriter? Artist? Author? Hard to say 🙂 Would you like to check out my blog? Here's the address: http:www.beneaththemallorntree.blogspot.com/.

  40. Gem says:

    Yah I know you're right, but I see her a bit differently from what C.S. Lewis thinks. For example, I see her being tall and skinny, not petite like she's described to be.

  41. Gem says:

    Yes, I think so too. That's Jill, and you can't change her character, who she is and where she comes from.

  42. Erin says:

    Personally I believe if they are to make another Narnian film adaptation it needs to be The Magician's Nephew, especially since they seem to want to add Tilda into every film. Also, having just seen Dawn Treader, and seeing that it did not translate well from book to film I don't believe Silver Chair would fare any better. But if they do wnat to Make Silver Chair they do need to make it very soon since the casting of Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb was sheer perfection. Wouldn't want him to age too much.

  43. the other Pevensie girl says:

    Queen Elizabeth: Oh yay, another music lover! (: Yeah, that's great! I always say that music is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity because it nearly never fails to make me feel better if I'm down. (:
    Edmund's Queen: To (slightly!) quote Skandar in "Blonde Cam"… "yes you should!!" Haha, I'd love to hear them! (: Have you tried commenting again? I'm pretty sure that I fixed it.

  44. sailor says:

    Of course … never give up on your dream

  45. Lucia says:

    Oh,Emilee…!
    You are rael *Gentle*!!!I am crying because your words were so GENTLE!(this isn't joke or something.Tears are rolling down my face!)
    Yes,I can be more brave girl.I will do it if my parents agree or not!I have to try.
    Actually,I had a bad sick in my mind…I couldn't go outside,and couldn't get up.
    *BUT*Aslan helped me!He gave me many chances and now,I am almost fine!!!
    Maybe that's why I am crying.I am feeling I am getting better and better!
    Thank you,Emilee!Thank you Narnia!And I wish everybody feels happy when they read this!

  46. Lucia says:

    Oh,Gem!What casual!My sister said me samething yesterday.Yeah,U R right.I will try it with my own character!
    That's the best Way,isn't it?

  47. Lucia says:

    Me 2,me 2!!
    I want to know how I can get one 2!
    But I live in Japan!That's the biggest problem to find an agent in UK or US…

  48. Lucia says:

    I think it will be impossible and everyone says so…but I can't put my dream away!
    I just hope I can get into the audition for Jill.If I will act Jill or not,it must be a good exprience in my life!

  49. Bookwyrm says:

    Upon skimming through these numerous comments, I've come to the conclusion that the stereotypes of Americans being incredibly self-centered might have some basis in fact. Why would it be "unfair" for them to not even consider Americans for Jill? She isn't American and it would be a heck of a lot more unfair for the role to go to an American girl who has access to a lot more film roles than an English girl does. Plus the thought of having to spend 2+ hours listening to some American fake a terrible English accent sounds absolutely dreadful.

    P.S.: There's no such thing as a British accent. Get your terminology right.

  50. Queen Emily the Kind says:

    I am british, and i know that it is most probable that they will choose a british actor! there are loads of brilliant british actors as we can see from the actors in narnia, harry potter and loads of other films! even if you're american and can pull off the accent you can still hear that slight twang in the american accent.that being said they probably won't go to america for casting beacause they would be wasting money and time! i just hope that they make the film and with that choose good actors like they have in the past! 😀

  51. Izzy Fizzy says:

    I love the Narnia bookes and I love to act and I am looking for a movie to audition for and when the voyage of the dawn treader came out I started to wonder if I could maby find out how I might be able to get an audition for the next movie. Please HELP!!!!

  52. WarriorMaiden says:

    I've read tons of articles online about getting agents, and they all say the same thing: agents don't charge you anything until they get you a part. They take a certain percentage of what you make on your acting job.

  53. cloggs says:

    I completely agree x this is what i have been trying to put in words but havent really odne it very well 🙂

  54. marianna says:

    I love the silver chair and really hope to audition i look just like jill and have her personality and i can fake a really good british accent but if i do not get the part there might be an audition for oh brothers! 🙂

  55. Narnia7 says:

    Hi Emilee,

    Oh, thank you so much for being willing to share your knowledge about how to get an agent! Like most, I don't have the extra funds to be able to do much traveling. When you (or someone else – I don't remember who) said that an agent doesn't require you to pay, and only requires a percentage of the production funds as a fee, does that mean that an agent is free?

    I would be thrilled if this is true, however, to me, this seems to be "too good to be true". Are there any hidden fees or other things that I should be warned of ahead of time, before I contact an agent?

    Also, when I send my photo to an agent, would it be better to wear my normal makeup, or just have a plain face?

    Could you advise me on the process from contacting an agent, all the way to when an agent contacts a company for an audition for you? I'm just getting started practicing with a home voice studio (it's not too professional – just microphone and professional recording/editing software), and I've only just recently heard about needing to contact an agent. I have really no knowledge of this agent process whatsoever!

    Could you also let me know what sort of things an agent will ask you to do, so I know what to be prepared for? I read one of the posts, here, that said that I will need to give a voice demonstration, as well as some other things (I'm not at all nervous – just asking, so I can be well prepared).

    One last thing . . . I live in a city that's not too big, and I'm not sure how to go about contacting an agent (I read in one of the posts below that if you're looking to audition outside of you country, you shouldn't contact agents in your country), or how to contact an agent outside of the nation. Do you know how that process works? Do you also know what is the best way to contact an agent (some post mentioned looking some up in the phone book – I don't think that sounds like the best way to contact someone)? Also, like a post below said, in order to begin to contact an agent, do I (instead of annoying the company from continuous calls) really just need to send them a picture and my information, or is there some other, better way to go about that?

    Any links, agent contact information, or other things you can tell me from what you know, is greatly appreciated!

    Thanks so much!

  56. Ariomoftheseas says:

    But Annabeth, would god and jesus christ want you to get all angry about it and take your anger out on someone else?
    Yes, Edmund did fall to temtations, but he was named King Edmund the JUST, so maybe you should learn from that because being just is not what you are doing.

    Anyway, katherine never metioned anything about god or blaming him, so you didnt have to bring it up in the first place.

  57. Narnia7 says:

    Hi sailor,

    I really like how informative your posts are – you seem to know alot about this process! Could you go up to the post (my post name is Narnia7) that I wrote to Emilee (it's dated January 5), and answer the questions I wrote there. If you don't mind, I would like your advice on these questions as well.

    I would also really appreciate any other knowledge or tips that you have.

    Thanks!

  58. Ariomoftheseas says:

    Ohhhhh. Yeah, sorry Annabeth. My bad.
    I didnt see what Katheri^n wrote further up. I agree that she shouldnt say things like that about god (even though i'm atheist) but just dont get so worked up about it next time, this site wasnt built just so that people could fight without seeing eachother.

  59. Ariomoftheseas says:

    I am 13 years old, am british and was born in the north of england. Ever since I was 9 I have been attending drama courses, doing workshops and being the big star of every school play. I always said that I was one of the few people that really was good enough and deserved to be in a film, sign autographs, get pictures taken and doing the one thing I love doing, the one thing I can do.
    Now I realize how wrong I am, so many people here have a dream, and from dreams, there is always a bit of reality. Every dream and wish is based on a part of you that knows it might happen. So never give up. Because everyone here with the same dream as the rest of us has a right to at least try. So I am not the only one. I believe that every one of us will have the chance given to us to do what we love. Dont think twice about something, dont let yourself be put down by others, dont stop trying.

    "No fear, no retreat! Lets meet our destinies!"

  60. Edmund's Queen says:

    I love blond cam too! Skandar is so, so, … SKANDARLOUS! I love that face he makes when he says "yes we have, Andrew, yes we have."
    Anywho, about commenting on your blog, well, I still can't comment. All I'm supposed to click is "post comment" right? And then a text box would show up where I'd type it. But the text box never shows up. Maybe it's my internet or whatever.