'Quantum of Solace' Cast And Crew Interviews

After weeks and weeks of waiting and with the 24 January press conference and announcement of Quantum of Solace as the title of the newest 007 film now behind us, it seems the plot details and interviews are pouring in.

A brand new collection of video interviews with the Quantum of Solace cast and crew–Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Dame Judi Dench, director Marc Forster and producer Michael G. Wilson–have recently been posted online at Coming Soon.

Daniel Craig was up first and quick to praise Forster at the helm of his second Bond film. ‘It has a very different feel to it. I mean, having Marc on set; Marc’s a very calm, controlled human being–or appears to be, anyway.’

‘There’s no point in going into a movie like this without making an effort to make it different. To make it a seperate entity than the previous one.’ – Daniel Craig

‘I was incredibly excited when he got involved. I mean, if you watch his movies, his versatility is quite astounding. I mean, you look at Monster’s Ball to Neverland to The Kite Runner and they’re all such different, but equally wonderful movies. And that he is bringing to this in spades because he’s very particular. Every shot counts. Every part of this process is important to him. And it’s very easy to work with people like that. He’s cares–simply put.’

‘It starts, in film time, about 20 minutes after the last one finished,’ said Craig of the film’s relation to 2006’s Casino Royale. ‘And it takes us to the conclusion; an emotional conclusion, but also to finding out who the bad guys are and this organization, which is having a serious go at taking over the world.’

Olga Kurylenko, who will play the role of lead Bond girl Camille, revealed that there couldn’t have been a better time when she learned she had gotten the role. ‘I was incredibly excited. I was very happy. I got a call on Christmas Eve and it couldn’t have been a better present.’

‘I’ve been in heavy training from morning to evening for about three weeks since I’m in London. I’ve been doing some stunts for the fight scenes and also some weapon work and body flight for some aerial scenes that I have and that’s really physically demanding and physically exhausting, but it’s very exciting also. I’m learning so many new things.’

Speaking about her character: ‘Camille is a South American woman. She is strong and independent and she’s driven by revenge in this movie. She is very persistent and very feisty.’

And, like Craig, Kurylenko pointed out Forster’s seemingly endless list of positive attributes that make him the perfect director for Quantum of Solace. ‘Marc is amazing because he is so open and very thoughtful and very precise. He’s really into the detail and very attentive. It’s really a pleasure to meet a person like this and work with a director like this. Plus, I’ve seen his previous movies and I’m so thrilled to be able to work with him.’

‘James Bond has to find out who is the villain and once he found Dominic Greene, he really continues to not understand what the guy is looking for. It has to do with, like in Casino Royale, a fantasy, but also quite realistic.’ – Mathieu Amalric

‘I’m playing Fields, Agent Fields,’ said Gemma Arterton, the film’s second Bond girl. ‘She works for MI6 and the British consulate in Bolivia and basically just has to look after Bond–or try to.’

As previously reported, Arterton also briefly mentioned a few of her scenes that will apparently be sticking in the minds of viewers longer than others: ‘I’ve done two of my “big, talked about” scenes. It was on the first two days, so I was quite nervous, but everyone makes you feel so at home here. There’s such a good feel on set.’

Dame Judi Dench, returning for her sixth time to the series as ‘M,’ revealed that her character would have ‘more to do’ this time around. ‘You see a bit more of her house and there’s more confrontation with Bond.’

When asked about working with Craig for their second film together, she answered: ‘I think he’s the most marvelous actor. He’s very relaxed and it can’t be very relaxing for him, but he has a knack for making you feel relaxed when you’re acting with him and that’s a very nice trait.’

He’s absolutely wonderful,’ responded Dame Judi when asked about Forster. ‘He’s wonderful to work with and I’m a great admirer of his. He’s funny, gentle and specific. He doesn’t watch the monitor, he watches the acting, the actors.’

Marc Forster also spoke to Coming Soon about preparing for the film and the key importance of pre-production:

‘I think the pre-production process is when I create the movie, basically. It’s all about the pre-production process. It’s all about locations to choose, how to develop the scenes, and that entire journey is where the vision of the film comes together. Ultimately, when you’re on the set, you’re jus executing the vision, which is a whole, completely different step actually.’

‘It’s hard for me to judge what kind of stamp I’m going to put on this movie. I let the audience decide that. I just have my vision of the film and will pull through and make the movie that is the most interesting and fascinating to watch.’

On the title: ‘You know, Quantum of Solace is a short story from Ian Fleming. I think it works for the film; I think it works for the story. In a sense, I think it was a good move to use an original title from Ian Fleming.’

Producer Michael G. Wilson also agreed, stating: ‘The Quantum of Solace, being a Fleming short story, means a measure of comfort. And I think it’s very appropriate for this film because based on what happened to the character of James Bond in the last film, he needs a quantum of solace, considering his mental state.’

Wilson also mentioned the impressive line-up of locations for the film: ‘We’ve been here in the studio and of course some London locations. And then we go off to Panama, then Peru, then northern Chile, and then we’re back here and then we go on to Italy and Austria. So there’s quite a number of locations and a lot of them are very challenging for our production department and to to get the work done in the time we have.’

To view the entire set of video interviews, click here to check ’em out at Coming Soon.

Quantum of Solace sees James Bond out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America.

According to the synopsis, Bond girl Camille, played by Ukrainian-born Olga Kurylenko, leads the secret agent to Dominic Greene, member of a mysterious organization and a ruthless businessman, seeking to control huge natural resources.

Greene is played by Mathieu Amalric, who starred in the Oscar-nominated The Diving Bell and Butterfly. The plot follows on directly from Casino Royale as Bond aims to uncover the truth about Vesper, the beauty who betrayed him, and discovers that she had been blackmailed. ‘James Bond is after revenge, and Camille is after revenge and they have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate,’ says Kurylenko.

Click here to view the complete Quantum of Solace plot synopsis

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