We’ve seen Gemma Arterton in two big budget productions this year alone, Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia, and though neither represent what she’s capable of as an actress, she’ll be back for more. During a chat about her upcoming film, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Arterton revealed that her role in Clash 2 is likely to be small, and even admitted which of the two blockbusters she liked better.

She confirmed that she’ll appear in the Clash sequel, but didn’t really sound all that enthusiastic about either the movie itself or her contractually obligated role in it:

“I don’t really know what the story is going to be. I think they’re writing it at the moment and they’re going to get back to us, but I don’t think I’m in it much the next movie, which is kind of good.” She added, “It’s going because it was a real success in the box office so they’re going to make another one.”

Acknowledging that Clash was drubbed by critics even though it was a hit, Arterton said, “To be honest, I just don’t know what is going on in the film industry. I was talking to a director yesterday who I love and he always makes brilliant films and he goes, ‘Oh, I struggle to make my films.’ I’m like, ‘How? Your films are amazing! How?’” She continued, “How can something like ‘x’ get made and get so much money put into it and they don’t even know what the script is sometimes and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll put up $200 million for that movie.’” Then she threw Prince of Persia into the mix, “My friend was saying, ‘I think Prince of Persia was better than Clash of the Titans,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I agree.’ And they said, ‘But it wasn’t as big a success,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I honestly don’t know why.’”

She was even willing to criticize 3D, the technology that both helped Clash make so much money and earned mocking from nearly everyone who saw it: “The boost in the ticket price, but also the fact that you can’t record it. So a lot of people had to go to the cinema to see it. That’s why they’re all doing it, I think honestly, not because it’s the future of filmmaking.”

Arterton certainly has a handle on this industry and the acting to chops to make use of it. If you’ve only seen Clash and Prince, please make an extra effort to hit the theater on August 6th to catch her in The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Sans grandiose effects and costumes, she really shines on screen. Plus, check back next week for my full conversation with Arterton during which she talks about working with such tense material and provides a little preview of what she’s got coming up, other than Clash 2.

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In case you were wondering, Gemma Arterton’s wedding gown was designed by Peter Langner.

GALLERY LINKS:
- Scans: Tu (Italy) – May 11, 2010
- Scans: Madame Figaro (France) – July 17, 2010
- Scans: Tatler (UK) – August 2010
- Events: Chris Moyles Show 2010

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GALLERY LINKS:
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) > Related Clippings: Best Movie (Italy) – May 2010
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010): Production Stills, thanks to Elena

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I’ve just scanned exclusively for us the 4-page feature on Prince of Persia from Cioè magazine, including interviews with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. I’ve also added 5 new photos from the Moscow Press Conference thanks to Mika.

GALLERY LINKS:
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) > Related Clippings: Cioè (Italy) – May 20, 2010
- Events: “Prince of Persia” – Moscow Press Conference

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GALLERY LINKS:
- Scans: VSD (France) – May 5-11, 2010
- Scans: Grazia (France) – May 28, 2010
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) > Related Clippings: Télé 7 Jours (France) – May 29, 2010, thanks to IHeartJake.Com

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LE FIGAROSCOPE – Comment avez-vous décroché le rôle très convoité de Tamina ?

Gemma ARTERTON – Je pensais n’avoir aucune chance, j’y suis donc allée au culot. Les réalisateurs préfèrent les actrices qui ont de la personnalité. Lors de l’audition, Mike Newell m’a demandé si j’étais capable d’avoir un accent snob. J’ai répliqué : « Bien sûr que je peux prendre cet accent, j’ai fait cette p… de Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ! » Il m’a engagée. Fort heureusement, Tamina n’est pas une déesse du sexe comme dans le jeu. Elle est ici une princesse gracieuse, très peace and love, qui devra se battre dans un monde de brutes ! Prince of Persia, c’est le croisement de Lawrence d’Arabie et Indiana Jones.

Hollywood, était-ce un rêve ?

Ma mère est femme de ménage, mon père, ouvrier métallurgiste. Après la Royal Academy, je pensais me consacrer aux planches, bien trop contente d’obtenir même des petits rôles. Il est si difficile de trouver du travail que je n’ai jamais rien refusé. Alors, Hollywood, c’était inimaginable ! Maintenant j’ai la chance de pouvoir alterner les films pop-corn et les films d’auteur, plus créatifs.

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

À 16 ans, j’ai eu un véritable choc en regardant Björk dans Dancer in the Dark, de Lars von Trier. Elle m’a inspirée.

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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.

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Big thanks to Nicole!

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: Ciak (Italy) – May 2010

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With special thanks to the lovely and talented Nicole!

GALLERY LINK:
- Scans: Flair (Italy) – July 2010

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

In The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Gemma plays the kidnapped daughter of a prominent businessman-one who shows herself to be quite a bit tougher than the average poor little rich girl.

Last summer movie: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which came out last month.

How Gemma is spending her summer vacation: Getting ready to star alongside Stephen Dillane in The Master Builder.

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All credit for the scans goes out to IHeartJake.Com.

GALLERY LINK:
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) > Related Clippings: American Cinematographer (USA) – June 2010

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

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“Alice in Wonderland”

“Clash of the Titans”

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon”

Choice Movie Actor: Fantasy

Johnny Depp, “Alice in Wonderland”

Jake Gyllenhaal, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

Taylor Lautner, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”

Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”

Sam Worthington, “Clash of the Titans”

Choice Movie Actress: Fantasy

Gemma Arterton, “Clash of the Titans” / “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

Rosario Dawson, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”

Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”

Mia Wasikowska, “Alice in Wonderland”

Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Starting yesterday, fans ages 13-19 can vote once each day for their favorite TEEN CHOICE 2010 nominees at www.teenchoiceawards.com.

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Gemma Arterton grew up wanting to be a princess.

The ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ actress admits she dreamed of being rescued by a hero, but thinks she lacked the grace and elegance to be truly regal.

She said: “I come from a simple background. My mum was a cleaner and my dad was a welder. But there was a time when I wanted to become a princess. I probably read too many romantic novels. I always wanted to be rescued by a prince. But I wouldn’t have looked my best. When I was younger I always used to trip and unerringly land in the nearest mud puddle.”

While the 24-year-old British star doesn’t think she could cut it as a princess, she believes she has what it takes to be an action heroine – but admits she worries more about what women think of her physical side than men.

She added to Gala.de: “What makes a good action heroine? You have to keep up with the boys. In a fist fight I always have the upper hand. However, for me it’s important to look feminine at the same time. I want the girls to think I’m cool.”

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Recently seen as Princes Tamina in Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time, she reveals, that she has a fabulous Indian connection or let’s say Punjabi connection. “I went to school in Gravesend which has the biggest Gurdwara in Europe, so I grew up in a large Indian community. I had a group of Indian friends as well who helped me get to know more about the Indian culture,” she says.

She’s also done a performance arts course at The Miskin Theatre in Dartford, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a full grant. She says, she always thought she’d do more of theatre and barely gave a thought to becoming a full-fledged movie star, although, even coming this far hadn’t really been an easy journey. Her biggest breakthrough was through Tess Of D’urbervilles before she became a bond girl. She says, “I wish it was easy to get here (laughs). It was before I had done ‘Bond’ and Tess…, that there were auditions for Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time; and my agent said, ‘Go up for this film, but you probably won’t get it because it’s massive.’ Yet, I met the casting director and then (director) Mike Newell, but you still have to do screen tests and win lots of people over and convince them that you’re beautiful enough, talented enough, and so on. I just thought I was never going to get it, so I was quite blasé about it. And there was such a long wait before I got a call telling me I had the part, that I’d pretty much forgotten about it at that point.” Also, she reveals that it took a lot of effort to learn the stunts, do them, and yet look beautiful as she was the only girl in the cast, nevertheless the stint has given her a new-found passion. She says, “I enjoyed my role as Tamina. She’s very interesting because she’s not just ‘the girl’: she’s got lots of different facets. She’s a high priestess, an adventurer, a bit of a tomboy sometimes. I’m the only girl in the film, so I had to try and look good all the while! It took me up to four hours to be transformed into the Persian princess in the morning. I had to learn how to horse ride, as I’d never done it before, but now it’s kind of become a new passion for me.”

There were recent rumours about her having a ‘special’ off-screen chemistry with her co-star Jake Gyllenhaal which spilled on-screen too. And Gemma doesn’t deny it a bit, in fact almost gushing, she says, “I met Jake a month before we started shooting for the film, so it was all a bit nerve-wracking. I had butterflies in my stomach, but he was sweet. We had a chemistry from the moment we met! The chemistry that you see on-screen was there off-screen too. We were always joking around and very comfortable working together. The nicest thing about him is that he’s such a lovely, funny and down-to-earth guy. He works hard and is a perfectionist but has a great sense of humour.”

Speaking about future work, she has expressed a desire to come to India and be part of the Indian film industry. She says, “Me and some of my friends at school were obsessed with Shah rukh Khan and we all wrote to him, hoping that he would come and perform at our school! I’ve always loved Bollywood movies, I’d love to work on one in the future. Maybe with Shah Rukh Khan!”

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Anyone up for a translation?

GALLERY LINK:
- Prince of Persia (2010) -> Related Clippings: Veronica (Netherlands) – May 22, 2010

“I’m quite a mischievious person and I like to cause a lot of trouble on set,” she says. “I was really hoping that Jake was the type of actor who would play along. And he was, thank goodness!”

The 24-year-old Arterton, who also appeared in this year’s Clash of the Titans, may not be high on your radar yet, but there’s plenty of buzz predicting she’s set to be the Next Big Thing. So, what keeps her grounded? “My family and friends are very normal,” she says. “They just just support me and tell me when I’m being silly.”

Watch our exclusive video to see the fashion-obsessed star gush about her favorite designers and find out what she always does (twice!) before going to bed.

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By Ryan J. Downey, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf

From Bond girl to protector of a magical dagger, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” co-star Gemma Arterton is no damsel in distress. Whether it’s “Clash of the Titans” or her latest swords-and-sandals epic, the English actress likes it physical.

“I think it’s quite rare to get [action roles],” she told MTV News. “I mean, guys are always playing soldiers and warriors, [but] there’s not many roles for women like it. I really threw myself into it and did a lot of my own stunts, which I’m really, really proud of. I always sort of saw myself as a bit of a stunt girl anyway. I’m quite reckless. [Laughs.] So I was really pleased when I got offered this role.”

Two sequences in particular really got her blood moving. “There’s a horse-riding one, where I pull myself to the horse from standing while it’s galloping towards me,” she said. “It took me about two weeks to learn how to do that. And it was pretty nerve-racking doing it, because everyone’s watching, and I had to prove that I could do it.”

The other offered an even greater physical challenge. “I roll under [a] closing gate while I’m running. I was petrified that I was actually going to run into the gate,” she said, laughing. “And there’s actual video footage of me going: ‘Did you see that? Did you see that? I did it!’ and everyone going, ‘Uh, yeah, we were all filming it, funnily enough.’ ”

While many scenes in “Price of Persia” — a Disney film based on a popular video game that opens Friday and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character — rely on green screen, the actress pointed out that several sequences utilize real sets as well.

“There was green screen, of course there was, but luckily it wasn’t like we were acting with nothing. I can’t tell you the details of the sets and everything around us. We did have a real sense of what we were doing. Obviously, there are those scenes, like that sand-slide scene, that was all green screen.”

Arterton first rose to prominence as Strawberry Fields in Daniel Craig’s second James Bond flick, “Quantum of Solace.” She appeared earlier this year opposite Sam Worthington in the 3-D remake of “Clash of the Titans.” She will next be seen in the decidedly less action-fueled “Tamara Drewe,” a romantic comedy in which she plays the title character. Fellow “Titans” alum Luke Evans also stars.

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