Gemma Arterton Is Fields… Agent Fields

GEMMA ARTERTON IS FIELDS… AGENT FIELDS
The ‘Quantum’ Bond girl who “thinks she can control Bond”

Gemma Arterton is Agent Fields

Gemma Arterton talks about her character ‘Agent Fields’ and how she is not the typical femme fatal usually associated with the Bond films. “Agent Fields works for MI6. She tries to be professional and takes herself very seriously but she is naïve and that makes her a funny character. Fields thinks she can control Bond and puts on a front but it quickly crumbles away so there is something very real about her. Fields is not a femme fatal, all strong and beautiful, she is very natural and someone you can identify with.”

Arterton had to film her death scene on her first day on set, she talks about the experience, “Fields is killed by the baddies. She tries to save Bond by stalling them but they know it was her so they kill her by drowning her in oil. She is found naked on the bed she shared with James Bond the night before. Filming that scene was brilliant, although it was quite strange. I was taken on the set and dowsed in the oil and I had to lay there for almost two hours. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe properly and I couldn’t hear because all the oil went in my ears. At the time I thought it was quite unpleasant but then I thought this is something I will always remember and it will be an iconic part of the film.”

Fresh out of drama school, Arterton describes what happened when she heard she had been given the part. “When I did my screen test, I thought I had blown it, then a couple of weeks later, I was filming in the middle of the ocean in Gibraltar, I was in scuba diving gear and I got a phone call from my agent singing the James Bond theme tune down the phone. I’ll never forget it, my colleague turned to me with tears in his eyes and said ‘This is such a big moment in your life, your life has just changed forever and I was here to see it happen’. Thinking about it now, on the way to my audition ‘Nobody Does It Better’ was playing on my car radio so I think it was meant to be.

“The difference working on a Bond film to any other movie is the time you get. There is so much attention to detail. On a Bond film, the whole day is allocated to one scene to make sure it’s right. Everyone is the best at what they do so it was quite scary for me because I am so new to it. Michael and Barbara [the producers] are lovely. There are so many expectations on a Bond movie and they can see how intimidating it can be, they understand and are so supportive. Whenever they saw me a bit stuck, they would give me a bit of a boost, a bit of confidence and that makes it really easy for everyone involved.”

In addition to support from the producers, Arterton felt safe in the hands of the director, Marc Forster. “Marc is so understanding of what it is like to be an actor, he is experienced and he invests a lot of trust in us. He trusts that we are good and we know what we are doing with our character. Marc lets you do your thing and will tweak your performance. He doesn’t need to say a lot to get what he needs, he’ll just say one thing that’s exactly right. Ultimately, he has great confidence in all of us and you just know you are in safe hands.”

Louise Frogley, the costume designer, made sure Arterton was involved in choosing the right wardrobe for Fields, “I didn’t know what was going to happen with my costume–originally they wanted me to look quite prim and ordered but we also wanted my character to look a bit wild and a bit unkempt to reflect her character, trying to be something she can’t maintain. In one scene she wears this trench coat but she doesn’t wear anything underneath, so it is like she’s kitted out but being really filthy at the same time! It’s the same with the party outfit so my style of clothes is exactly right for my character. My party dress is beautiful, very Audrey Hepburn, but it is something Bond had bought for me so it is really top end. It’s Prada and fits like a glove with a big bow at the front, it’s streamlined but again there is this cute thing going on.

“Choosing the costumes was great fun. I think Marc had some really strong ideas and everyone has an idea of what they think a Bond Girl should look like, but I wanted to make sure my character looked fresh and real. It was so exciting trying all these clothes on and, as I did, the costume department were talking about chopping bits off the dress here and adding bits there–inside my head I was screaming ‘But its Prada!’. Even for my screen test, I was wearing a Dolce and Gabbana dress which they cut to make it fit properly–and that was just for the screen test!”

Working with Daniel Craig was one of the highlights for Arterton, “Daniel was brilliant, he’s a really nice guy. At first I was really nervous because I’d seen him in Casino Royale but when you get to know him, he’s so down to earth and supportive and we have a giggle–it’s been great.”

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