10 minutes with Gemma Arterton — The face of G Star Raw on toughening up for a fairy tale.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: ES Magazine (UK) – September 16, 2011, thanks to Lorna

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

The Art of Gemma — I’ve finally scanned and added to our gallery an Australian magazine that I’ve had for awhile.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: OK!USA (Australia) – May 3, 2010

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

The British actress played Agent Strawberry Fields, who died after saving the suave spy, and Gemma had such a great experience making the movie she wishes she could work on the new film – which will be directed by Sam Mendes.

She said: ‘They’re just starting to make the next one and I’m so jealous that I died in the movie I was in because I’d love to do it again, it was so much fun. You get to travel to all of these exotic locations, treated well, it’s everything you imagined filmmaking and how glamorous it can be.’

While Gemma loves having the opportunity to work on blockbusters, she says she didn’t become an actress for fame and fortune.

She explained to UK TV show ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’: ‘I trained in theatre and that’s always what I imagined I’d do, if you decide to be an actor you don’t think you’re ever going to be in movies because it’s so hard and I was prepared for lots of unemployment and waitressing and trying to make ends meet.’

Source

You can buy your own copy of the ‘Bond Girls Special’ issue of MI6 Confidential magazine, now shipping worldwide from mi6confidential.com.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: MI6 Confidential – Issue 9 – Bond Girls Special

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

A graduate of RADA and a regular with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Gemma had only just made her first big screen appearance in “St. Trinian’s” when she was beckoned by director Marc Forster for a screen test. The rest, as they say, is history. After bedding Bond and coming to a sticky end, Gemma’s character won the hearts of fans as a throw-back to the classic style of Ian Fleming’s heroines.

In an interview published by MI6 Confidential magazine, Gemma explained how she wanted to bring a bit of edge to her character. “We wanted to make her really retro and a bit of a throwback. It’s typically Fleming and a little bit tongue in cheek,” she said. “She wore a typical raincoat and yet in one scene she didn’t have anything on underneath. We tried to make her straight laced but with a real naughty edge to her.”

“I’m not sure whether she’ll be the Bond girl who the boys pin up on their walls but they might say ‘I don’t know what it is about that Agent Fields, but I quite fancy her!’ She’s the thinking man’s crumpet.”

But what of the ‘Bond Girl Curse’ that has supposedly killed the career of many an actress? That may have been true for some in decades past, but every leading Bond Girl in the 21st century has used her time with 007 to great effect, and perhaps there is no better example than Gemma. When “Quantum” hit screens around the world, she immediately landed a succession of high-profile Hollywood productions, including “Clash of the Titans” and the lead female role of Tamina in “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”. You could not go in to any multiplex anywhere in the world and fail to see her on a poster. These three films alone raked in a staggering $1,414m at the global box-office, making Gemma Arterton a ‘Billion Dollar Bond Girl’ within just 18 months of her encounter with 007.

“We share that same very British sense of humour and wit and that was really nice when we were on set. I took the piss out of him all the time and he loved it and he took the piss out of me (laughs).” – Arterton on Daniel Craig

You can read the entire Gemma Arterton interview in the ‘Bond Girl Special’ issue of MI6 Confidential magazine, now shipping worldwide from mi6confidential.com.

Source: www.mi6confidential.com

GALLERY LINKS:
- Quantum of Solace (2008) > Promotional Photoshoot
- Photoshoots > Glamour UK (2010)
- Photoshoots > Glamour USA (2010)

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

Many thanks to Lorna.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: insideKENT (UK) – January/February 2011

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: Kino Park (Russia) May/June 2010, thanks to Elmira

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

Don’t forget to vote for Gemma Arterton at http://bafta.orange.co.uk/rising-star-award/gemma-arterton/!

I’ve recently managed to buy and scan a copy of the rather rare BAFTA Academy Magazine issue from December 2009 featuring Gemma Arterton on the cover.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans from 2009: BAFTA Academy Magazine (UK) – December 2009

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

A big thank you goes out to Lorna!

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: Daily Record (UK) – August 30, 2010

It’s an unforgettable moment in her new film Tamara Drewe – and has even been used on the movie’s poster.

The film has only been released in France but is already a huge hit.

But Gemma, who starred alongside 007 Daniel Craig in Quantum Of Solace, says she’ll remember the sexy scene as one of her most uncomfortable.

“I’m such a prude,” laughs Britain’s rising star.

“Did I choose those shorts? Oh yeah – I begged the director. I said, ‘Please can you make them the shortest, most uncomfortable shorts ever!’

The denim hotpants are a key part of the film, she admits.

Gemma, 24, plays the title character in the film, a beautiful young journalist who returns to her West Country roots and causes chaos.

After she turns up to a local shindig in her skimpy shorts, she becomes the centre of attention, lusted after by men and envied by local women.

Gemma says: “The hotpants were part of the original book and I had to wear them for the punchline of the scene to work”.

And according to Gemma, it was the movie’s director, Stephen Frears, who was determined to show off a little cheek.

The brunette star recalls: “We had a screen test where I wore different styles of shorts for Stephen. Each time, he went – shorter, shorter!”

She jokes: “We’ll be auctioning them for charity at the end of the year.”

But it wasn’t all glamour for the stunning actress, because the film flashes back to her awkward teenage years when Tamara had a bad haircut – and a large, beaky nose.

She laughs: “I have a prosthetic nose. They put a nose on me and gave me a dodgy wig and an awful school uniform. It’s a black comedy.

“My husband gets freaked out when he sees that picture of me from the film.”

It’s been a busy year for Gemma. Earlier this summer, she starred in the action fantasies Prince Of Persia and Clash Of The Titans as well as the thriller The Disappearance Of Alice Creed alongside Scots star Martin Compston.

She also did a stint onstage in London’s West End – and somehow found the time to marry fiance Stefano Catelli in a hilltop ceremony in Spain’s Andalucia in June.

The actress wore a fitted white gown for her big day. But with a schedule as busy as Gemma’s, she admits she didn’t have time to set up the wedding herself.

She says: “We had a wedding planner – it was the only way, as I’m really, really disorganised.” And among the hectic hurly-burly of films and premieres this year, it was the wedding that kept her going

“It was a shining light at the end of all that work,” admits Gemma, who had been engaged to Italian fashion sales manager Stefano for a year after he popped the question at last year’s Download festival.

She says: “It was the best day of my life, for sure. Absolutely thrilling.

“I’ve long been someone who didn’t see the point of marriage, but now that I’m in that situation, I kind of understand it a bit more.”

Gemma turned down work so she could have some proper honeymoon time with her new husband.

But now she’s back in the publicity whirl for Tamara Drewe, which premieres in North America at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Sometimes the down-to-earth star struggles with her new fame and admits she doesn’t enjoy walking up the red carpet at premieres.

“It’s part of the job but I’d rather not do it,” she admits.

Instead the shy star tries to live a normal life in London. However, like Tamara Drewe, when she goes home to Gravesend in Kent she attracts a lot of attention.

“If I go into a restaurant there, people recognise me, whereas in London they don’t really notice,” admits the actress, who says new husband Stefano is very protective of her when they are out in public

“He’s my bodyguard,” she jokes. “When he’s around no-one dares approach me.

“Unlike Tamara, I hide in the toilets. She puts on hotpants!”

Gemma’s rapid rise to stardom began when she left drama school three years ago.

She played head girl Kelly in the film St Trinian’s and turned a lot of heads by beating out more than 1000 candidates for the role of Strawberry Fields in 2008′s Quantum Of Solace.

She also showed up as Elizabeth Bennet in the ITV series Lost In Austen, and played Tess in the TV series Tess Of The D’Urbervilles.

She followed this up with cameos in Guy Ritchie’s crime thriller RocknRolla and the Richard Curtis comedy The Boat That Rocked.

But 2010 has been her banner year with appearances in Hollywood blockbusters such as Prince of Persia. Already she’s been lined up for a sequel to Clash Of The Titans.

But not everyone in the film industry has cottoned on to Gemma as a hot property.

When she landed the role opposite hunk Craig in Quantum Of Solace, some fans raged that she wasn’t their idea of a Bond beauty.

She recalls: “James Bond is such a massive deal, and there hadn’t been a Bond girl in a while, so it was an even bigger deal. I got letters saying I wasn’t hot enough.”

But Gemma took the insult in her stride and even gave it a positive spin.

She says: “I took it to mean that maybe I was too serious an actress for them. In a way, I understand how they felt.

“When they cast me in Prince Of Persia, my first thought was, ‘Why didn’t they cast Natalie Portman or Freida Pinto?’ These are the kinds of beautiful actresses who should get these roles.”

Maybe they didn’t wear the right kind of hotpants.

Tamara Drewe is released on September 10.

Aug 30 2010 By Siobhan Synnot

Source

Gemma Arterton reveals what’s the secret of surviving as a female on a film set.

Big thanks to the always helpful Lorna!

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: SFX (UK) – September 2010

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

Allô? Je suis dans le métro, à Londres, dit-elle d’une voix rauque. Vous m’entendez?” On entend parfaitement. On est aussi étonné: Gemma Arterton n’a donc pas de chauffeur? “Non, je déteste ça: on se sent coupé du monde.” Et c’est ce qu’il y a de terriblement attirant chez cette actrice, qui passe des blockbusters -Le Choc des titans, Prince of Persia- à des films indépendants, “so british” comme elle le dit si bien avec son accent cockney. Elle a beau avoir joué Shakespeare sur les planches, donné la réplique à Daniel Craig dans le dernier James Bond, Gemma, 24 ans, écoute toujours sa maman, femme de ménage, et son papa, ouvrier métallurgiste: “J’étais si fière d’avoir tourné des films à gros budget… Ils les ont trouvés nuls!” Diplômée de la Royal Academy of Dramatic Art de Londres, la comédienne a connu une ascension fulgurante depuis qu’elle a joué dans St Trinian’s, avec Rupert Everett et Colin Firth, en 2007. Dans Tamara Drewe, de Stephen Frears, qui sort le 14 juillet en France, Gemma a quelque chose d’une adolescente: un corps dont elle se sert pour mesurer son pouvoir de séduction, un côté petite fille qui réalise son rêve. Mais, dans La Disparition d’Alice Creed (sur les écrans le 30 juin), elle révèle une autre facette: punk, rebelle, troublante. Conversation avec une jeune femme puissante, drôle et directe… Une tempête dans une tasse de thé!

Tamara Drewe est adapté du roman graphique de l’auteure anglaise Posy Simmonds. Comment décririez-vous ce personnage?

Avec son nez refait, ses jambes interminables, ses aspirations à la célébrité, Tamara est l’amazone londonienne du xxie siècle. Son retour dans son village natal est un choc pour la petite communauté qui y vit en paix. Une communauté excentrique, partagée entre écrivains, universitaires frustrés, une rock star au rancart et une population locale en déshérence. Tous sont attirés par Tamara dont la beauté pyromane et les divagations amoureuses éveillent d’obscures passions. Elle va provoquer un enchaînement d’événements aussi absurdes que tragiques.

Comment vivez-vous le grand écart entre films indépendants et grosses productions, comme Prince of Persia?

Je n’aurais jamais pensé devenir un jour une princesse Disney! Prince of Persia est un croisement entre Star Wars et Indiana Jones, un genre que je connais peu… Mais je me suis beaucoup amusée pendant le tournage: je n’ai jamais été sportive et, là, j’ai appris à monter à cheval, à faire des cascades, à me battre à l’épée et à lancer des couteaux… Quand j’étais petite, ma famille ne surnommait Blanche-Neige, car j’avais de longs cheveux noirs et la peau très blanche. Mais je suis un garçon manqué! Je ne ressemble pas à la princesse Amina et je n’arrive pas à croire que, aujourd’hui, il y a même une poupée à mon effigie. Cela dit, si j’ai pu faire du cinéma d’auteur, plus créatif, c’est aussi grâce à la visibilité que m’apportent ces films hollywoodiens.

Comme Quantum of Solace, le dernier James Bond où vous envoûtez Daniel Craig?

J’ai lu des interviews d’ex-James Bond girls toujours en train de se justifier. Mais James Bond, c’est une institution “for God’s sake!” (Dieu soit loué!). Quand je serai vieille, je pourrai dire à mes petits-enfants: “Votre grand-mère a embrassé 007 !”

Y a-t-il une différence entre les Britanniques et les Américains dans la façon de concevoir les scénarios, d’aborder le jeu?

Les acteurs britanniques ont souvent un background théâtral, ils sont les héritiers d’une tradition qui va de Shakespeare à Monty Python. Quand ils jouent, les Anglais sont dans l’instant présent, comme au théâtre. En revanche, les Américains, eux, se précipitent sur le moniteur après chaque prise pour contrôler leur performance à l’écran. Ce qui fait retomber la tension dramatique. Pour ce qui est des scénaristes, les Britanniques ont un sens profond de l’ironie, de l’autodérision, de l’absurde. Si les Américains ont tendance à faire triompher le bien, chez nous, le héros est souvent un looser. Même les situations les plus graves sont décrites de façon décalée… Parfois, nous sommes vraiment d’un cynisme cinglant, mais cela nous fait rire.

C’est le cas de La Disparition d’Alice Creed, thriller psychologique de J. Blakeson où vous incarnez la victime d’un enlèvement. Un huis clos si haletant que l’on finit par être pris d’un rire nerveux…

C’est le genre de cinéma indépendant anglais que j’adore. Un film violent, perturbant: on me voit nue, attachée à un lit, les yeux bandés et la bouche bâillonnée, à la merci de deux ravisseurs. Mais le dénouement est inattendu: Alice Creed n’est pas qu’une victime… Et ses bourreaux sont aussi redoutables qu’étrangement poétiques… Jouer ce personnage a été un challenge pour moi: tous les soirs, je rentrais à la maison en larmes et pendant le tournage, je piquais des fous rires. J’avais aussi peur de la réaction de mon père… Il a adoré! Ma nudité ne l’a pas dérangé. Désincarnée, clinique, elle évoque plutôt les photos de Guy Bourdin.

Qu’est-ce qui vous a donné envie de devenir actrice?

A 16 ans, j’ai eu un choc en voyant Björk dans Dancer in the Dark, de Lars von Trier. A cette époque, je voulais être chanteuse, pas actrice. J’ai grandi dans la musique: le cousin de ma mère était le leader de Wreckless Eric, un célèbre groupe punk des années 1970. A la maison, on n’écoutait que du rock anglais! J’ai appris à jouer de la guitare et j’ai formé mon premier groupe à 14 ans, un “girls band” baptisé Violent Pink. Que des filles, dans le genre punk enragé! [Elle rit.] Je joue toujours, mais, aujourd’hui, je fais de la musique folk.

Comment êtes-vous arrivée à la Royal Academy of Dramatic Art?

Après avoir pris des cours dans une école de théâtre, j’ai gagné une bourse pour y entrer. J’ai quitté Gravesend, ma ville natale, dans le Kent -là où est enterrée Pocahontas!- et j’ai débarqué à Londres sans un rond. Pour payer mon loyer, j’ai travaillé dans une parfumerie, puis comme hôtesse dans un bar-karaoké, le Duke of Sussex, un lieu surréaliste ! A l’Académie, j’étais un peu l’Eliza Doolittle de la classe… Les élèves étaient issus de milieux aisés. Je me souviens de leurs conversations: “Mon père m’a montré le dernier Ken Loach. J’ai adoré, et toi?” Moi, je me demandais: “Qui est ce Ken Loach?” Je rattrape mon retard tous les jours. Mais je me pince encore pour être sûre que ce que je vis n’est pas un rêve.

Comme Scarlett Johansson, vous avez une sensualité débordante, vous assumez vos formes voluptueuses…

J’aime le corps féminin, ses rondeurs, ses imperfections. Si on me demandait de maigrir pour un rôle, je refuserais. On peut toujours s’arranger avec des costumes, du maquillage et de bons éclairages. Et puis, on peut jouer avec ses défauts: pour contourner l’un de mes complexes, je me suis fait tatouer derrière mes oreilles, décollées, deux petits anges ailés !

Vos projets?

Remonter sur les planches. En 2007, j’ai joué Peines d’amour perdues, de Shakespeare, au Globe Theatre: un souvenir merveilleux. A la rentrée, je serai dans une nouvelle pièce, mais je ne peux pas en dire plus. Quant au cinéma, le réalisateur italien Luca Guadagnino m’a offert l’un des plus beaux rôles qui m’aient été proposés. Si ça marche, le film -qui se situe dans les années 1970- sera tourné en Corse. Enfin, je rêverais de jouer le rôle de Courtney Love dans le film qu’elle aimerait faire sur son histoire avec Kurt Cobain.

Source

GALLERY LINKS:
- Photoshoots: The Observer Photoshoot – Captures (2009)
- Magazine Scans: Various (Thanks to Lorna!)
- Public Events: “Prince of Persia” – Moscow Photocall
- Quantum of Solace (2008): Production Stills
- St Trinian’s II: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold (2009): DVD Screencaptures – Interview
- Tamara Drewe (2010): Posters & Covers

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

She alternates work on major productions with independent films, because she wants to earn a reputation as a “serious actress”. And she is not offended when asked about the famous kiss on set with Daniel Craig; indeed, she is amused and says: “We shook hands and immediately we were kissing away. I’m a lucky girl!”

Source

Today I bring you scans from 2008, when Gemma Arterton was promoting Quantum of Solace. She had already been cast in Prince of Persia and also talked enthusiastically about her first major blockbuster, that was about to start filming in Morocco, too.

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: Top Magazine (Mexico) – November 9, 2008

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

Big thanks to Lorna!

GALLERY LINKS:
- The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009): Related Clippings
- Quantum of Solace (2008) -> Related Clippings: Sunday Times (UK) – May 31, 2009
- Magazine Scans: Scotsman (UK) – April 23, 2010
- Magazine Scans: Clippings From 2010
- Magazine Scans: Star (UK) – May 3, 2010

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

GALLERY LINKS:
- Quantum of Solace (2008) – Related Clippings: Cinema (Germany) – April 2008
- Magazine Scans: Clippings From 2010 (Thanks to Lorna!)

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

The Disney Channel aired a sneak peek of Prince of Persia on December 31 – the shown scenes are from the trailer, but there’s some new behind-the-scenes material. You can watch it here. Big thanks to Stephanie for this!
I’ve also replaced the ‘The Sands of Time’ featurette caps with better versions and added a few more, and – sort of unrelated – replaced the scans of the November 2008 issue of “Close-up”.

GALLERY LINKS:
- Prince of Persia (2010): Behind the Scenes Featurette: The Sands of Time
- Prince of Persia (2010): Disney Channel Sneak Peak – December 31, 2009
- Quantum of Solace (2008) – Related Clippings: Close-Up (Switzerland) – November 2008

Follow us: http://twitter.com/gemma_arterton

Double your pleasure: Ukrainian spitfire Olga Kurylenko and English acting phenom Gemma Arterton.

GALLERY LINK:
- Quantum of Solace (2008): Related Clippings > Famous (Canada) – November 2008