Lucy Bevan on Gemma Arterton

I remember vividly the first time I saw Gemma Arterton on stage, early 2007. It was not a great play, in a dingy basement studio at drama school—the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art—and I had missed half a dinner party to be there, so I was quite grumpy. Gemma then walked on stage and shone out.

At the time, I was casting this British comedy called “St. Trinians,” with Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Russell Brand. The actress we had cast to play the lead girl had just dropped out, and I went from feeling awful about that to being literally thrilled by the opportunity to cast someone completely fresh and new.

Gemma did brilliantly in her auditions, held her own at a fairly intimidating table reading with Rupert Everett, and—with a little persuasion of the director and producer that casting a complete unknown as their leading lady was a good idea—she got the part. From the first day I met her, through those first auditions, and now with all the great and well-deserved success that she has had, Gemma has always been one of the most delightful, funny, charming, honest, and ballsy girls I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. I absolutely adore her and love the fact she is doing so well.

Lucy Bevan got her first job, as a runner, by literally knocking on doors in Soho, London. She then became assistant to producer Sarah Radclyffe when Radclyffe made Tim Roth’s directorial debut, “The War Zone.” After a few years, Bevan decided her heart lay in the casting process. She worked for Mary Selway for four years, calling it “the finest training I could have wished for.” Bevan’s first film was “Chromophobia,” for Martha Fiennes, followed by “The Duchess,” the “St. Trinians” movies, and “An Education.” Recently she contributed to casting on “Pirates of the Caribbean 4.”

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