Gemma Arterton has lit up both film and stage with her performances of strong women, no nonsense women.
From her breakout as the head girl in St Trinians to being a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace, and portraying the highs and lows of Barbara Parker, a comic trying to make it in the male-dominated world of 1960s comedy in Funny Woman.
In this weekend’s 60 Seconds, the 38-year-old discusses parenthood, what it was like being a Bond girl, hurdles she faced as a working-class actor, and of course, the much-anticipated second series of SkyTV’s Funny Woman.
What do you like about Barbara Parker, aka Sophie Straw – your character in Funny Woman?
She’s effervescent, she’s a comedian, she’s fun – the life and soul. But there are different aspects of her that are not as attractive and that’s also what I like about her. She’s got a bit of an ego, a fiery side – she can be very explosive – and in this season we see more of that side of her. She lets the fame get to her, she loses herself. She’s one of the favourite characters I’ve been able to play because I get to let out all of this silliness I have inside me.
I’m quite a silly person – I enjoy being silly. I love physical comedy. I see it in my child now. He’s the same – making people laugh at things you do, crashing into things, falling over, doing silly dances.
Is it unusual for you to get to do that in a role?
Yes. I always get quite assertive, very controlled characters, which is so not me at all. It’s weird. I wonder if it’s a perception thing… The real me is much more like Sophie – a ‘dippy doodle’, as she calls herself.
Were there parallels between her and your own experiences, especially as a young, working-class actor?
With the working-class thing, I definitely felt there was a struggle I had in the first part of my professional career – at drama school and in the early years. Now I don’t have an accent, unfortunately. But when I was younger I did struggle a bit with that. I was called ‘common’.
Funny Woman is set in the 1960s. Are you a big fan of 1960s style and fashion?
Yes, I love it. Between the ages of 15 and 25, I dressed in 1960s clothes – that was my look. I’d buy all my clothes vintage and get stuff from Portobello, and wear Mary Quant stuff. It was an amazing time for fashion, game-changing, with mini-skirts, colour and patterns, all that stuff.
If you could travel to one era, other than the 1960s, where would you go?
I really like the late 1970s and early 1980s musically. I’m a punk – I love The Damned and The Stranglers. But there are other times that would be interesting to go to, like the 1930s, pre-World War II time – a time of possibility.
Barbara/Sophie gets some creepy fan mail in series two. Is that something you’ve experienced?
Fan mail usually comes to us via our agent and they open it and check it before they send it on to us. I’m sure there has been some really creepy stuff but they just don’t send it on.
Was being a ‘Bond girl’ a blessing or a curse?
I loved making Quantum Of Solace – and I’m still friends with people on it. The legacy of it was something I didn’t expect. I was quite naive and didn’t really grow up watching Bond films, so I didn’t know how big a deal it was at the time.
You and your husband, Rory Keenan, have a two-year-old boy. How are you coping? Are you exhausted?
We’ve been dealing with a stomach flu sickness for the past ten days. I have to admit that it has been awful. We all got it and my son’s still got it. Today we were up at 5am, cleaning up and changing nappies. Please let it end.
The good thing is I don’t sleep that much, so I’m used to it – I’m able to function on very little sleep. But there are good days and bad days. People keep saying, ‘It gets easier’ and I’m like, ‘When?’
We read that you’ve taken up painting. What do you paint?
I do – I paint portraits. I need to have a day a week when I do it. You need five hours straight to do it and since having a baby I’ve found it’s more difficult to carve out that time.
I’ve still been doing some artistic things, like drawing. But with painting, I need to factor it into my life. I absolutely love it.
Is there a solo exhibition at the Tate on the way, or are there any other ways people can see your paintings?
I actually got my paintings framed the other day – the ones I liked and I’m not ashamed of. The framer said, ‘You should do an Instagram or put them online,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’ It’s just for me.