Actor describes ‘traumatic’ experience in Morocco when Hollywood producers flew out a personal trainer and filmed her at the gym to prove she was exercising

By Gwilym Mumford

Gemma Arterton has revealed that she was once forced to lose weight for a role by Hollywood producers, who flew out a personal trainer to work with her on location and filmed her at the gym to prove that she was exercising.

Speaking to the Guilty Feminist podcast in June, the British actor described the experience, which occurred while she was filming in Morocco, as “traumatic”.

“There was one film that I was on and we were out in Morocco and a couple of weeks went past and they literally were like, ‘we need a personal trainer – stat,’” she said. “And they flew someone out overnight that gave up their whole life to be with me and be my personal trainer.”

“You know when it’s like – ‘Is it that fucking bad that I need an emergency [it was as if they were] on speed dial – get that trainer out here now’”.

Arterton also said that producers would measure her and comment on her food intake. “They’d measure me and they’d call up the personal trainer at like nine at night going: ‘Is she in the gym? And if she isn’t, why isn’t she in the gym?’

“And there was one day when I went to get some snacks, they have like snacks on set, and I went to get some apricots, some dried apricots and the man went, this big, fat, obese producer went: ‘I hope you’re not going to eat that.’ I said ‘Do you know what? I’m going to eat about all 20, then I’m going to go home and eat all the stuff in the mini bar and then I’m going to vomit it all up,’” she said.

While Arterton did not disclose the name of the film in question, she has previously spoken about having been forced to lose weight by the producers of the blockbuster Prince of Persia. “When I got that part they really tried to transform me. They sent me to a personal trainer, wanted to get my teeth done, hair extensions, make me look like somebody else,” she told the Daily Mail in 2010.

Arterton has long been a vocal critic of the treatment of female actors in Hollywood. Speaking to the Observer’s Eva Wiseman last year, the actor said that her reputation for speaking out may have resulted in her not getting film roles.

“It’s easier to conform and shut up. That’s the way it’s always been with women. Easier than putting yourself out there and having an opinion, to which someone might retaliate. I’m sure there are people who don’t want to work with me because they think I’m difficult – ‘one of those feminist girls’ – but to be honest with you I don’t want to work with them. And that’s fine,” she said.

Source

Could you have made it this far without RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)?
I don’t think so. I don’t mean to say this generally, I wouldn’t have known where and how to begin, if I didn’t go to RADA. Because, I didn’t have any connections, there’s literally nobody in my life who’s in the industry. I wouldn’t have known how to get work, or get an agent in the first place. Getting into RADA put me into that stage to be seen, and for three years I’ve learned about acting. There are so many different styles of acting, and ways of getting a performance out of you and you have to find your own way, and you take bits of it, not the whole lot. You take things that work for you and go with it, but I think drama school is an amazing things to do. There are a lot of actors that haven’t and don’t feel like it’s necessary, but for me it was.

Thanks to Chuckie for the scans.

GALLERY LINK:
– Movies & Television > Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) > Related Clippings > F*** (UK) – Issue 6 – June 2010

GALLERY LINK:
– Scans from 2013: InStyle (USA) – October 2013

Credit: FSR

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By Hayden Manders

Hollywood had better be prepared for the rise of Gemma Arterton. The theater-turned-film actress has already proven she can kick some action hero butt like 007, and already has two British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations under her belt. For a girl whose resume is only beginning, that’s pretty darn impressive. Oh, and not to mention, she’s absolutely stunning.

Avon made a good call in making her the face of its beauty line. Her flawlessly fair skin is almost as famous as her acting ability, and she makes good use of both in her latest film, Byzantium. Arterton plays Clara, a hyper-sexual vampire trying to outrun her 200-year history. Arterton’s personal history doesn’t run that deep, but it does extend into the theater world, where she hopes to end up after her stint in film is done (but that won’t be for a long, long time). The girl’s got talent, and her infectious personality could put her in the running to be our new BFF, but we won’t jump the gun just yet — don’t want to scare her off right away.

In Byzantium, your character uses a lot of sexuality and intensity to get her own way. Was that her antiquated view of a woman’s options in the world (as opposed to Eleanor, who was much more upfront and honest), or do you think that is still a reality which women have to face?
“No, they don’t. They don’t have to do that at all. She does it because it’s what she knows; it’s her best trick. She knows how to manipulate men sexually. It was just something I decided was her strongest weapon. I think there are definitely women out there who use their sexuality to get what they want, but I don’t think it’s the way. I think having a brain is the best.”

Not to go back in time, but we have to ask: The sexual tension between you and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince Of Persia was palpable. How was it working with him? How did you guys develop chemistry?
“Yeah, actually the last time I was in New York, we went for dinner. We hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years because he’s been away, and I’ve been away. I was so young when that filmed — 20 or 21. It was a strange time. It was quite a hard movie to make for the both of us, but since then we’ve been getting on really well. He’s just a really lovely guy. He’s very giving. I think he’s a proper actor. He was really sweet.”

What did you learn from him?
“Resilience. I think he’s very resilient, and detailed. Everything matters to him. He’s very attentive. He really takes everything into his own. He’s very responsible, and makes sure everything is right. I tend to be all over the place, and hippie-like, but he always stressed being attentive.”

Does this “hippie” kind of work ethic carry through into your personal style?
“No, I’m not hippie in personal style, but I guess I’m sort of airy. I tend to go with the flow a lot. Sometimes I can be a bit passive. I’m a bit of a contradiction: I’m passive, but very fiery. I started off in the theater, and I’m used to being more actor-y. Film is a lot different, there’s a lot more ego involved. Theater is about doing the right thing and having fun. It’s been a process finding out how it all works.”

Would you ever go back to theater?
“I always want to go back. I’ve always got my finger in the pies. I’m hopefully doing a musical next year, and also a play. I’ve tried to do a play every year, but you have to really, really commit to it. It’s quite hard. For me, my heart is in theater. I’ll always be primarily a theater actor. Film, this is what I’m doing for the moment. I’m doing it because I can, and the opportunities are there, but the theater is where I feel the happiest. My dream is to own my own theater. Ever since I moved to London, I found this theater that’s derelict in South London. I want to buy it and make it into my own theater. That’s my ultimate goal. I think I’m going to do it. I’ve got this feeling I’m going to do it. I want to be the head of my own theater and be an artistic director. That won’t be for a long time, though. I’ve got to finish all this film stuff.” Read More

GALLERY LINKS:
– Scans from 2013 > Sunday Telegraph: Stella (UK) – January 27, 2013, thanks to Chuckie
– Photoshoots > Sunday Telegraph: Stella (2013)

Song For Marion is released in UK cinemas on February 8, 2013.

by Jessica Kiang

Last week at the Marrakech Film Festival, we got to sit down in a small press group with jury member Gemma Arterton. She’s an actress who for a while seemed to be following a fairly standard route, especially for a British starlet, following up her first film “St Trinian’s” with some period TV before landing a Bond girl role in “Quantum of Solace.” However, since that breakout, while she’s done studio fare (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” the upcoming “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), we’ve also seen her skew more eccentric with some of her choices, taking small, British films like “Tamara Drewe” and “Song for Marion” along with edgy indie thriller “The Disappearance Of Alice Creed,” and she boasts a forthcoming lineup that promises much more interesting fare to come.

One of those interesting-looking movies is next year’s “Runner, Runner” from “The Lincoln Lawyer” director Brad Fuhrman. Penned by David Levien and Brian Koppelman (“Rounders“), the film — which will see her star alongside a great cast — will tell the story of a Princeton student who gets cheated out of his tuition playing online poker, but winds up as the right hand man of the dude running the site. “It’s a thriller about online gambling in central America and the dirty, filthy underworld of that. Ben Affleck is in it, and I play his right hand woman I guess, and also it’s a bit sleazy — our relationship,” Arterton said. “Justin Timberlake is the hero of the piece; there are some great actors in it — Anthony Mackie who was in ‘The Hurt Locker‘ — he’s brilliant. It’s all very sexy and shot by the guy that shot ‘Avatar‘ [Mauro Fiore] so it has a film noir feel to it — that dirty bling world.”

She goes on to clear up some confusion (ours, we confess) surrounding a movie about famed war photographer Robert Capa, a project to which she was also linked a couple years back with Andrew Garfield said to be in the lead. It appears we might have a Capote/Hitchcock situation on our hands again here: “There’s two versions: ‘Waiting for Robert Capa’ which is Michael Mann’s and my version which is just called ‘Capa,’ ” says Arterton. “It’s now being directed by Paul Andrew Williams who directed ‘Song for Marion.’ The original screenplay was by Menno Meyjes… We’re in the process of casting our Capa, and I hope it happens because it’s such a great story. And I hope we do it before Michael Mann! I’m like, ‘Quick, hurry up!’ because obviously ours would be a lower budget.” Read More

I’ve just added brand new scans from a Belgian magazine from 2010, Le Vif Weekend, that features a very interesting new old interview with Ms Arterton and also an unseen before outtake from her Observer photoshoot.

GALLERY LINK:
– Scans from 2010 > Le Vif Weekend (Belgium) – August 13-19, 2010