From Winter Issue 60
Glass talks to British actor Gemma Arterton about her stage and screen success, her love of comedy and starting a film production company that spearheads strong female roles
BAFTA and Olivier-nominated Gemma Arterton is known for her rich and diverse roles. After all, variety is the spice of life. From classical to comedy, and a Bond girl role thrown in for good measure, this nuanced actor has explored the breadth, facets and complexities of stage and screen, citing her trained background as the main enabler – she is a Royal Academy of Dramatic Art alumni, darling.
To understand her love for acting we need to rewind. As a child, Arterton was encouraged to explore her creative side and, even though she didn’t watch many films growing up (perhaps the odd video tape of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, she recalls) the telling sign was always there – she just loved to perform. As Arterton remembers, “I was always a performer. There are videos of me when I was three or four, singing and putting on little shows.”
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
While attending her local grammar school in Kent, she discovered amateur dramatics via a friend who suggested she audition for the Bugsy Malone production at a nearby boys’ school and, wham, she secured the part of Tallulah. She was hooked.
A studious student but not feeling the academics, she decided to go to drama school after encouragement from one of her teachers, Mark Civil. Having “a bit of a Cockney accent” and never having “really studied Shakespeare”, she was hesitant at first.
But she says, “He coached me, in a way, to audition. I loved it. I think it was one of the best times of my life. I was 18, going around the country auditioning with no expectations, meeting all these like-minded people, just having a great time.”
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
Having scored the highest grade in drama in the country, Gemma decided to further her studies and ended up at RADA. She was tutored by Neil Maskell, a jobbing actor at the time, who opened her eyes up to the creative side of cinema.
“I remember he’d just done a Ken Loach film. He’d tell us to watch all these fantastic films – he recommended Lars von Trier [known for directing Breaking the Waves, Melancholia, and Dogville] and I got totally obsessed with Lars. I watched Dancer in the Dark with Björk, which devastated me. I got that whoa moment and I realised cinema wasn’t just about big, shiny blockbusters – there were dark and interesting films, and this really formed my thoughts around cinema.”
She continues, “I’d find an actor, get completely obsessed and watch their whole back catalogue. Back then, I loved Joaquin Phoenix – he’d done really interesting films, low budget too; then there was Julianne Moore and Emily Watson – I was really struck by her performance in Breaking the Waves.” And just like that, Arterton was lured into the world of film.
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
She landed her first gig while still at college. This was starring in the BBC television drama, Capturing Mary, across from Ruth Wilson, someone she’d looked up to. “I remember at that time she’d just done Jane Eyre. She was a new actor on the scene and everyone was talking about her.”
And what a first after party to attend, rubbing shoulders with Maggie Smith, who played the lead role. “I didn’t get to meet Maggie Smith until the wrap party and she was so fun. As a kid, one of the taped videos we had was Clash of the Titans, the original, and Maggie plays the goddess, a statue that comes alive. That was so iconic for me – she was amazing in that film. We used to watch it all the time, so it was special to just have a moment with her.”
Until then, Arterton had had humble expectations. “I thought I’d do a couple of plays a year – but roles started to come in. It was such a surprise, I still have imposter syndrome, big time.” Not only did she land the TV drama, she also made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Globe Theatre in 2007 before graduating later that year.
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
She made her film debut in St. Trinian’s followed by her breakthrough role in the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, in 2008 (when she auditioned with 1,500 other actresses for the part). Just starting out but with a variety of good roles under her belt, she was piquing the interest of the industry, even though she never imagined being a film actress.
Variety has been the running theme of Gemma’s career – you name it, she’s played it. On stage, not only did she star in the hit musical, Made in Dagenham, for which she won her first Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical in 2014, she treaded the boards in Nell Gwynn at the Apollo Theatre, which gained her a Best Actress Olivier Award nomination, as well as roles in Saint Joan at the Donmar Warehouse, Walden at the Harold Pinter Theatre, plus The Little Dog Laughed, The Master Builder and The Duchess of Malfi.
A true thespian at heart, she says, “I love theatre, you can really express yourself the most freely there because you’re totally autonomous. In fact, you have control of your performance, so you put out what you want to put out.”
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
For the big and small screen she’s also starred alongside the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck, Richard E Grant, Dominic Cooper, James Norton, Ralph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans, as well as Elizabeth Debicki and Saoirse Ronan. There’s even been music videos, cue the contemplative depiction for Jessie Ware’s Remember Where You Are.
The protagonists are wide-ranging, too. It takes a talented actress to play a nun (Black Narcissus) and Marilyn Monroe (It’s Me, Sugar) and, most recently, an ambitious actress in The Critic, where she appears with Ian McKellen, who plays a renowned theatre critic. “I’ve always been somebody, even in life, who likes variety,” she declares.
“I like to mix things up. In terms of a performer, I guess it’s because I’m trained. I know some directors don’t like working with trained actors because they think that they’re going to be affected, but I believe that training as an actor is a gift. It means you’re able to do a plethora of things, not just, you know, a kitchen sink drama. You can go off and do big character parts. You can do comedy, which is really difficult.”
Arterton continues, “Training doesn’t necessarily mean that you can do that – my husband [Rory Keenan] is an amazing actor. He’s not trained and he can do all those things. But training gave me confidence. One minute you’ll do a comedy that’s showy, and the next you’re doing something very naturalistic and intricate, or often you’ll get cast against your type, to stretch you.”
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
Currently starring in the Sky Original series, Funny Woman, as well as producing the series – Arterton also has a production company, Rebel Park Productions alongside Jessica Malik and Jessica Parker. In it, she plays a young woman finding her comic voice in a male dominated world. It is set against a 1960s backdrop and also features Rupert Everett and Tom Bateman.
A notoriously difficult genre, Arterton says she’s drawn to comedy and, in particular, comedy on stage. “I love comedy and silliness, but then I’m also quite intense and can be quite dark, dismal and wallow in emotion. It’s a way of exploring all the different aspects of a personality. I have done a lot of comedy of late, so now I’m interested in playing someone completely different, someone who’s really buttoned up and repressed.”
The mother of one is also celebrating Rebel Park Productions’ 10-year milestone this year. Central to the company ethos is representation, championing women in the industry. “Nowadays, we see more women in positions of power. Look at the crew and there are more women on set, which is great. It never used to be like that” she comments.
“We’re quite heavy handed about it and when we’re crewing up we make sure there’s just as much representation. It’s easy to go for the most experienced option, but it’s important to give people their first chance, or step up, because with more experience you get better. Often the reason why women aren’t being employed is because they don’t have as much experience as their male counterparts.”
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
Production credits also include Leading Lady Parts, a short film inspired by the “Time’s Up” movement, The Escape, Vita & Virginia, Summerland. On script and editing duty, Arterton says that when she’s acting, she prefers to see the script through the character, as opposed to seeing the full picture.
But as a producer, she’s keen on pre-production, “I like to assemble the crew, and it depends on the project. With The Escape, I didn’t want to be in the edit, and I didn’t want to see anything until it was in a state where the director was happy with it because it was too personal. But, with something like Summerland, I was able to connect and disconnect from it, I could watch it objectively.”
On looking to the future, Arterton says she wants to take risks as opposed to going for the safe option. “I don’t want to make something that can be compared to or copy something because it works,” she states. As well as taking risks, she’s excited about casting women in starring roles.
“I have a list of actresses I’d love to work with. Usually there’s one lead actress role, but wouldn’t it be great if we could all work together, like Ruth Wilson and Felicity Jones, who I love as well. We all grew up in the industry together and started around the same age – we’ve all experienced the industry at the same time.”
It’s an uplifting message of support and I can’t wait to see what’s next on the slate.
by Felicity Carter
Stream Funny Woman series 2 now on Sky Max and NOW
Photographer: Ellyse Anderson
Stylist: Steph Wilson
Makeup: Naoko Scintu using DOLCE & GABBANA BEAUTY
Hair: George Northwood
Styling assistant: Roz Donoghue
Talent: Gemma Arterton
All clothing and accessories TOD’S Pre-Spring 2025