The story of Georgie Henley: from Narnia to death's door

There are roles that dictate the life of an actor and this was the case of Georgie Henley (llkley, Yorkshire, England, 1995), who will be forever remembered for her role as Lucy Pevensie in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' franchise.

She stared in films that made a new generation of children fans of this fantastic saga based on the books by C.S. Lewis.

She got her first film role when she was less than ten years old, for the 2005 feature film 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', directed by Andrew Adamson.

Many other roles followed, 'Perfect Sisters' (2014), which she shot with Abigail Breslin; the 2017 film 'Access All Areas' and the series 'The Spanish Princess' (2019-2020).

Tragedy struck and she had to face a real nightmare caused by a bacterium that almost cost the actress her life.

She told her own story on her social media profile: "When I was eighteen years old and in my sixth week of university, I contracted necrotising fasciitis, a rare and punishing infection that nearly claimed my life and wrought havoc throughout my body."

In fact, she almost had her left arm amputated and had to undergo a complicated reconstructive surgery that has left her with numerous scars that she now wears proudly.

It is an infection caused by a "flesh-eating bacteria" that can lead to death if not treated quickly, so the actress can consider herself lucky.

For a while, though, it was difficult to deal with. "It has taken me a long time to heal both physically and mentally but I hoped that one day there would be the right time to talk about what happened."

At first, she tried to completely hide her scars professionally by wearing bandages, clothes or make-up, but eventually she learned to accept herself.

"The industry I am part of often focuses on a very narrow idea of what is deemed aesthetic ‘perfection’, and I worried that my scars would prevent me from getting work. The truth is there is no such thing as ‘perfection’, but I have still lived with the shame of feeling different, exacerbated by the expectations that came with beginning my career at a young age," she said.

In Georgie Henley's words, these scars are her "map of pain" and do not interfere with her ability to perform. "I’m proud to be a person who has visible scars in this industry," she explains.

And she has not been short of work, working recently on 'The Diplomat'.

While at Cambridge University, in addition to suffering the horrible experience of necrotising fasciitis, she had the opportunity to act in several plays and to direct 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'.

In 2016 she also wrote, produced and made her first short film, titled 'Tide', about a lesbian couple in the different stages of their relationship.

Georgie Henley has also written two books: 'The Snow Stag' and 'The Pillar of Secrets', as the Narnia fandom webpage tells us.

We look forward to seeing Georgie Henley become known once again for her work as an actress. And today she can be proud not only of her acting career but of setting an example in the industry and using her map of pain to spur her on further.

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