When British beauty Gemma Arterton was picked to make love to James Bond in “Quantum of Solace,” and later to play princess to Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Prince of Persia,” she suddenly attracted a lot of media attention.
One enterprising tabloid journalist knocked on her grandmother’s door and asked if she had any childhood photos of the actress.
The elderly woman obliged, and turned over dozens of potentially embarrassing family photos. Although Arterton now is arguably one of the most beautiful women in the world, the memory of having those unflattering photos splashed across the front pages of England’s notorious tabloid newspapers is still painful.
Sipping green tea in a corner booth in a West Hollywood hotel restaurant, the 24-year-old actress winced as she spoke of her first brush with fame, and then explained how she has reconciled her classical stage background with being a Bond girl, and then starring in a big-budget, Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, summer action movie.
In “Prince of Persia,” which opens Friday, Arterton plays the princess of a holy city who joins forces with the dashing prince of ancient Persia to protect a magical dagger that can release the “Sands of Time,” which is not necessarily a good thing.
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Throughout my career, I have had problems with people not taking me seriously because of my great beauty. How about you?
GEMMA ARTERTON (laughs very hard).
Q. You didn’t have to laugh so hard.
A. (still laughing). I’m sorry.
Q. It’s OK; I’m used to it. But have you ever had that problem?
A. Yes. Well, I’m not saying I’m a great beauty, but I’m definitely fighting that thing. In fact, I just made another movie about that very subject. It was directed by Stephen Frears, and it’s called “Tamara Drewe.” It was shown at Cannes last night, and I play a journalist who finds it hard to be taken seriously because of her looks.
Q. So, you personally have run into this?
A. You do have to prove yourself.
Q. How do you do that?
A. I’ve made sure, while doing these big movies, to make other smaller films that challenge me, as well as theater. Not everyone will see those movies or plays, but anyone who cares enough will see them and know that I have more to offer.
Q. There is a shocking rumor floating on the web that the “Quantum of Solace” people initially didn’t think you were hot enough for the role. Is that true?
A. No, it wasn’t the people who made the movie; it was the fans. 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.
Q. How did you deal with the insults?
A. I took it to mean that maybe I was too serious an actress for them. In a way, I understand how they felt. I don’t see myself as that type of girl. I don’t understand why anyone casts me in these kinds of films. 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.”
Q. What was the sequence of events in how you were cast in these two big movies?
A. I had filmed “Quantum,” but it hadn’t come out yet, so nobody here in the United States knew who I was. But I was just starting to get a little name for myself in the U.K. Jerry (Bruckheimer) took a big chance on me with the help of the producers of the Bond film, who were nice enough to send him clips of me from “Quantum.” They had a lot of faith in me. It was amazing to get that kind of support.
Q. You graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, you’ve done Shakespeare on stage and you have appeared in some well-received small films, such as “St. Trinian’s” and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles.” Is it OK that you are appearing in these blockbusters?
A. I find it really hard to get my head around it. I think there is a realistic part of me that understands that these roles don’t come around very often, especially for a British girl. And that same realistic part of me is always thinking about future roles. So I hope that by doing something like this, it might help me get a role in an obscure movie that wouldn’t get made without my name recognition. But I never expected to do movies like this.
Q. So, you don’t want to make a habit of it, but they’re a means to an end?
A. Exactly. Sometimes, you watch someone in a movie like this and wonder why they’re always making movies like this. I don’t want people to think that this is all I do. Since I’ve finished “Prince of Persia,” I’ve made a conscious effort to make smaller films, which was only possible because I made these big films. It’s a vicious cycle.
Q. Is it a fear of type-casting?
A. Of course. A good actor doesn’t want to limit themselves. The exciting thing about acting is the choice of playing around with different genres. You want to do everything.
Q. So, what are you doing to avoid being seen as a big-movie actress?
A. As soon as I finished “Prince of Persia,” I knew I had to shake off the Hollywood glamour bit, so I went into this tiny movie (“The Disappearance of Alice Creed”) that hasn’t come out here yet, but is getting some nice notices. My agents begged me not to do it because there was nudity and I’m strapped to a bed most of the time, but it was so different and I knew I could do it. Other people don’t know what you can do until you show them.
Q. It’s really important to you not to be taken lightly, isn’t it?
A. I couldn’t live with myself if I was going down the Jennifer Aniston route. I’m sure she’s very happy doing those movies, but my dream was always to do great movies.
Q. Even though you don’t want to do a lot of these big-budget movies, are they fun to do?
A. Oh, to be in a Bruckheimer film is grand and magical. It’s everything you imagine movie-making is about when you’re a kid.
Q. What about the weather conditions? I heard you were filming in Morocco in 120-degree weather?
A. I’m from the U.K., where it’s dull, gray and cold all the time, so I loved being in the heat. My family are working-class people who never complain, so I never complain. The most difficult thing about being there was the pressure to perform in this type of movie. I felt out of my depth. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m much more comfortable on stage. Besides, I was the only girl, and I was surrounded by all these giants of Hollywood.
Q. Did you rough it on the set?
A. Oh no, you stay in a beautiful hotel, and you’re treated like a princess. You get loads of money to spend. They gave my first per diem, and I asked them if this was for the whole shoot, and they said it was for the week. My family came out to see me, and the per diem paid for everything.
Q. Are you very critical of yourself when you watch your films?
A. Tremendously critical. It could be 10 years before I appreciate my work in this film. I kept watching it and wondering what I was doing in it. It’s such a glamorous film, and I’m so not glamorous.
Q. You’re not one of those actresses who swear that she was unattractive when she was growing up, are you?
A. I was definitely an ugly duckling.
Q. Come on.
A. Haven’t you seen those horrible pictures of me on the Internet? My nan, god bless her soul, was quite delusional before she died. She was so proud of me and when a journalist came to the door, she handed over a massive family album. Of course, they selected the worst photos of me to run, including one of me at 6 with the mumps. Another one was of me at 14 developing quite chunky. It still hurts to think about those photos.
Q. Well, that’s one way to keep you grounded.
A. Whenever things go too well, I think about those photos, and that brings me back to Earth.
Contact the writer: bkoltnow@ocregister.com
