Quantum of Solace star Gemma Arterton has dropped her comments about the possibility of a James Bond character, suggesting that such a change may not be in keeping with the franchise’s lore. “Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins played by a man?” The actor told The Times. “They talk about it, but I think people would find it quite outrageous. Sometimes you just have to respect tradition.”
Arterton, who played Strawberry Fields in the 2008 Bond film alongside Daniel Craig, also expressed her confusion about the way the role followed her career: “I don’t regret doing a Bond movie, but I’m confused why it followed me. I was only in the movie for five minutes.
The 38-year-old actor, who recently starred opposite Ian McKellen in The Critic, spoke candidly about the evolution of practices on set, especially regarding intimate scenes. She recalled an instance where “I was just thrown a sex scene. Like, ‘This is what’s going to happen,’ and I did it.” She pointed out that such situations will not happen today thanks to intimacy coordinators.
Addressing existing industry safeguards, Arterton highlighted the presence of support systems, including anonymous helplines on call sheets. “If there is any bullying, there are outlets you can call,” she said.
The actress also discussed filming The Critic while she was pregnant, noting the production’s supportive approach. “You can shoot around it, so there’s a lot of shots of me holding things in front of me. You can see me growing as the movie goes on,” she revealed.
Regarding “The Critic” co-star Ian McKellen falling off the stage while starring in Player Kings in London’s West End, Arterton said: “It was a big fall and he’s obviously an older man. It takes time to recover. It’s like Peter Pan. He is very young at heart. “It was like a wake-up call.”
Arterton, who lives in Sussex with her husband, actor Rory Keenan, and their son, chose to reduce her workload during her child’s early years. She has also kept her distance from social media, having left Instagram years ago, saying that “actors need to maintain a little mystery.”
She also shared her view on class representation in the arts, expressing her regret at being advised to lose her Kent accent during drama school. “I’m a big proponent of getting more working-class people into the arts, because we have so much to offer,” she said.