New photos of Gemma in The King’s Man have been added to the gallery. Enjoy!

Gemma Arterton (“Black Narcissus”) will headline “Funny Girl,” a series adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel for Sky and NOW.

Arterton stars as Barbara Parker, a force of nature who takes London by storm during the cultural explosion of the 1960s. The series follows the character’s journey from Blackpool beauty queen to comedy superstar and nation’s sweetheart. Clare-Hope Ashitey (“Riviera”), Arsher Ali (“Informer”) and Alexa Davies (“White House Farm”) will also star.

The series is written by multi-award-winning writer Morwenna Banks (“Damned”) and directed by BAFTA nominee Oliver Parker, who directed Arterton’s film debut “St. Trinian’s.”

Arterton said: “It’s a heart-warming story of an ambitious woman with a dream of making people laugh – it’s going to be something special. It’s an honour to be working with such an incredible team and be reunited with my first ever director, Oliver Parker.”

Read the full article on Variety.

Gemma Arterton has opened up to Red about almost quitting acting, what being a Bond girl was really like, finding love when she least expected it and taking the lead in a much anticipated BBC drama, starting this weekend.

In an exclusive cover interview for our January issue (out now), Arterton said she was in a ‘terrible film…called Runner Runner’, adding: ‘To be honest, I just wanted to quit acting after that. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place.’

She said: ‘The script wasn’t good; I just did it because it was this big American film and everyone was telling me it was a good idea. It was all the things I don’t enjoy when I’m on a film set and there was a lot of animosity and tension. And now it pains me that things like that are out there.’

The actor also spoke candidly about what it was like to play Bond girl Strawberry Fields alongside Daniel Craig in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.

‘I was like, “Oh, whatever, it’s just another role.” Then my publicist called and said, “Gemma, is there anything you need to tell me? Any skeletons in the closet? You have to tell me now because they will find out.”

‘And I remember thinking, “It’s me, who cares?” But that was also a really valuable moment in my life as it made me kind of guarded and careful. I’ve never wanted to court any

Gemma Arterton was desperate as a teenager to leave her small home town in Kent to go and live in London. She remembers, in detail, the day she finally moved, driving up with her dad and her boxes, to stake her claim at independence and adulthood.

“It was a tiny flat in west London,” she says, her voice stripped of any hint of Gravesend. “My room was like a wine cellar underneath the pavement – I could hear people walking above me – and it had mould all over it. But I was just so happy!” Her dad cried at leaving her “in this disgusting little flat”. But Arterton was thrilled. She was a grown-up, she had her own space. “I got to hang out in the pub round the corner with all the students from Lamda and…” She pauses slightly, then says: “Oh, hello?!”

Here, Arterton is saying hello to my mum, who has walked in on our video call at the precise moment one of Britain’s most recognised actors is telling her tale of adult escape. Because, of course, instead of being in my own grown-up flat in London, I am stuck between tiers and lockdowns at my parents’ house, my childhood home in Peterborough, a place I, too, grew up desperate to leave for bigger things.

You are best known for your feature films, but you got your start in Shakespeare. What is it about his work that continues to excite you?

There are two things that I enjoy, and one is how it is basic storytelling that is echoed in almost all drama. It exists in superhero movies, such as having something Shakespearean in the Marvel films. All of his stories are relatable, and it feels so pure. The other thing is the language, and how he could get under the skin and make you viscerally feel the words. Maybe, it has something with the iambic pentameter and how it follows the rhythm of the heartbeat. The more Shakespeare that I do, the more that I discover, and especially when you are doing it during a play, it becomes exciting to continue to notice things about the language.

You have won some notable awards for your theatrical work. What are some of the few things about the live stage that drives you to pursue that craft?

Theater in the UK is so important, and it really is one of our calling cards. This is something that is in our blood. So when I thought about becoming an actor, I did not think about television or movies; I thought about being in theater. I love being on stage, and I love the immediacy. You are connected with the audience. I understood this interaction better because of the lockdown. You don’t have that on screen, and that energy is something I am craving now. Theater also has stages and in the middle of a long run, you may hate it, but you can make changes in your performance, and in the end, you are in love a different way.

You have a robust resume, but what is really interesting is your voice work on Watership Down. Did you enjoy your voiceover work?

Here in the UK, it comes around every Easter. There is something so relevant to what is going on with the environment. It was an amazing experience and was just thinking the list of actors to face the characters. I love voice work because they want a piece of me to be in the character, and I am grateful for the experience.