Gemma Arterton has expressed her discomfort with being perceived as a sex symbol during her acting career.
The 38-year-old rose to fame for her role in St Trinians and as Bond girl Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace.
“I’m really scruffy,” she told The Times. “So I was surprised that [a pin-up] was the way I was viewed for a long time. It didn’t sit well with me, because I really don’t see myself in that way.”
She added, “I was doing those roles because they were the ones I was offered. As I’ve got older, they’ve become more interesting.”
Describing her experience being sexualised, she revealed that she once had a sex scene thrust upon her without notice.
“One time a sex scene was just thrown upon me,” she said. “Like, ‘This is what’s going to happen,’ and I did it. That wouldn’t happen now, with intimacy co-ordinators. I said no [to a sex scene] another time, when I was feeling a bit more empowered.
“That’s why I’m worried about younger actors, or replaceable actors. I’ve heard stories from actor friends who are less established or starting out, where they felt they couldn’t say anything because they’d get fired. That’s really terrible.”
The actor also said that she feels the public would be too outraged by the prospect of a female James Bond, after Daniel Craig left the franchise. There has been much speculation about the future of the lead of the movies, with creator Barbara Broccoli hinting that “whiteness” was not a given for the new role.
Kraven actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is purportedly a frontrunner with other actors allegedly in the running including Idris Elba.
“They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to respect the tradition.”
The St Trinian’s actor also spoke about her small role in the Bond franchise and said she was “perplexed” over the attention she received for “five minutes” of airtime.
“I don’t regret doing a Bond film, but I am perplexed why it has followed me around. I was only in the film for five minutes,” she said.
The comments come after Arterton admitted there was “so much wrong” with Bond women in a previous interview.
