GEMMA ARTERTON Q&A
January 11th 2011 00:28
Competition is now closed.
Below is a short Q&A with lead actor Gemma Arterton (who should be nominated for an Oscar for her wonderful performance!), courtesy of Icon.
Q: Your known for your work in blockbusters such as Clash of the Titans, was doing a smaller budget film a conscious decision?
Gemma: I’d just come off this big action/adventure movie where I’m playing a princess, so I wanted to do something completely different.
Q: What were your thoughts when you first read the script?
Gemma: This was psychological, very modern and really full on. It was such a page-turner and I thought "It’d be great to be involved in something where the audience are on the edge of their seats".
Q: Did you identify with the character of Alice?
Gemma: She’s different to me in that she’s from quite a well-off background. But she’s cool – really feisty. When you first see her you think she’s a complete victim, but she turns it around – she’s intelligent and has get-up-and-go, so that’s why I identified with her.
Q: How did you prepare for the role?
Gemma: I always do a back-story for every character I play, and it seemed particularly important here because she’s just a normal girl from a normal life, but in order to make the character believable and to get the audience on her side, you have to think about the back 5 story. She’s really the human focus in the movie so even if she isn’t likable at first, ultimately you want the audience to want her to succeed.
Q: Were you nervous about the physical aspects of the film?
Gemma: One of the things that attracted me to the film originally was the physical aspect of the performance, because I did a lot of physical theatre before I started in film. Being tied up, being restricted, those things completely inform what’s happening emotionally, which is really helpful. So sometimes when the camera’s not on my whole body I’ll still insist that I’m completely tied up, just because it does help that feeling of panic or claustrophobia. I think "Wow, if I’ve done this, I can do anything now."
Q: And the shooting style and time must have been completely different then what you’ve been used to on some of the bigger films you’ve worked on?
Gemma: I prefer this kind of tight schedule because you have to work on your impulses and instincts all the time. When you have a lot of time, you can get everything right but sometimes you can lose your way a little bit, rather than being on the front foot all the time. Some people work better that way, but I completely don’t. So even though it’s really stressful and you’re constantly wondering if you got it right, if you got the shot, that’s exciting and a challenge, and I think my best work comes out that way.
Q: How did you find working with J Blakeson?
Gemma: It’s such a luxury working with someone who knows the script so well. Sometimes when you work with a writer they can be very precious about it, but he’s grateful for what else we can bring to it, and he knows film so well that he’s brought something quite original to it.
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