30 Aspiring Facts About Gemma Arterton You Probably Didn’t Know

Gemma Arterton, one of the most beautiful actresses in the world, captured our hearts with each and every role she took up. With her unique speaking voice, she made sure that fans don't easily forget her. Still, there are many things that even die-hard fans don't know about the actress. Here are some interesting facts about her that will blow your mind:

"Gemma Arterton" by Danny__H is licensed under CC BY 2.0

1.  In preparation for her titular role in “Gemma Bovery,” Gemma learned to speak French from her then-boyfriend Franklin Ohannessian, who was also working on the production. At the time of casting, she didn’t speak even a single word of French.
2.  For her role as MI6 Agent Strawberry Fields, in the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace," she was one of the total 1500 applicants. Her character is said to be homage to the Bond Girls of the 1960s.
3.  It was reported that one of the casting directors of the movie, personally asked her to audition for the role of Strawberry Fields, after being impressed with her performance as Rosaline in "Love's Labour's Lost" at the Global Theatre.
4.  Arterton became the first English-born actress to portray the role of Tess, with her role in the 2008 movie “Tess of the D’Urbervilles.” The previous actresses who played the part were American – Blanche Sweet and Minnie Maddern Fiske, German – Nastassja Kinski and South Africa – Justin Waddell.
5.  During the filming of “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” in a scene in which her character Gretel is running through the forest, she accidentally sprained her ankle and suffered an injury.
6.  For her role as Elizabeth in the movie “Unfinished Song,” she took piano lessons even before the filming began. Throughout the movie, she did all the piano playing by herself.
7.  The entire cast and crew of the movie “The Disappearance of Alice Creed,” found the scene in which Arterton had to urinate into a bottle in front of her captors to be even more bruising, than the scene in which she had to strip naked for the first time.
8.  To inform her that she got the Strawberry Fields role in "Quantum of Solace," her agent called her and just sang the James Bond theme on the phone.
9.  It was Gemma who brought the movie “Vita & Virginia” to the attention of director Chanya Button, and not the other way around. She has been friends with Button for a long time, as Button studied with her younger sister Hannah Arterton in drama school.
10.  Initially, director Sacha Polak was attached to direct the movie, and Romola Garai was also cast in the role of Vita. However, both of them left the project due to various reasons.

"Gemma Arterton" by Little Miss Iz is licensed under CC BY 2.0

11.  Gemma was given the script to the movie, by writer Eileen Atkins and was immediately pleased with the way the characters were portrayed. She knew director Button would be interested as Virginia Woolf was Button’s favorite author.
12.  During one of their holidays, Gemma asked Button’s opinion on making a movie about the relationship of the early 20th century writers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Wolf.
13.  In the movie “The Disappearance of Alice Creed,” while filming the scene in which Eddie Marson’s character Vic had to slap Arterton’s character Alice about the face, Marson accidentally hit her hardly.
14.  Initially, in the 2016 movie “Their Finest,” actress Lily James was cast as Catrin Cole, but had to quit due to scheduling conflicts. Gemma was cast instead of James.
15.  Talking about her role as Gemma Bovery, she claimed that the character was more close to her in real life, in comparison to the other characters that she has ever played.
16.  The very first scene that she filmed as Agent Strawberry Fields in "Quantum of Solace," was her character's death scene, in which she had to be completely covered from head to toe in non-toxic black paint. She claims the experience to have been quite unpleasant.
17.  She was cast in the role of Gretel in the 2013 movie “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” as the director Tommy Wirkola was impressed with her performance as Alice Creed in “The Disappearance of Alice Creed.”
18.  During the filming of “The Disappearance of Alice Creed,” even while filming the scenes in which her character is not in the frame, Arterton had insisted on being handcuffed to the bed, in an effort to help her performance.
19.  Because of her commitment to "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters," she was unable to reprise her role as Io for the sequel of "Clash of Titans" titled "Wrath of the Titans."
20.  Due to this, the script of the sequel had to be rewritten that her character Io had died, and Perseus decided not to have Zeus resurrect her again.

"File:Gemma Arterton at The Prince's Trust Awards.jpg" by Donna Sydee is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

21.  Director Anne Fontaine had initially rejected Arterton for the titular character in “Gemma Bovery,” due to Arterton’s role in the film adaptation of Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel “Tamara Drewe.”
22.  It was not because of her performance, but Fontaine was not fine with the idea of casting Arterton in the lead role. However, Isabelle Huppert convinced her that Arterton was the perfect choice for the lead role.
23.  While filming the exterior scenes in the movie "The Disappearance of Alice Creed," it was too hard for Arterton, as it was February and her character had to be barefoot, dressed in just a tracksuit.
24.  It was reported that the crew members would be waiting off-camera, for the scene to be completed, to piggy-back her to warmth, at least until the next take.
25.  Recalling her role in the 2013 movie “Runner Runner,” Arterton claimed that she actually wanted to quit acting altogether, after working in it. She realized that action movies wasn’t for her, and immediately decided to do more of theater.
26.  Director Mike Newell of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," claimed in an interview that he chose to cast Gemma for the role of Tamina because of how old he felt when he saw the back of her beautiful neck.
27.  In preparation for her role as Gretel in the “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” she and her co-star Jeremy Renner underwent severe training for nearly a month, in an effort to meet the physical demands for their characters.
28.  After the production of "Quantum of Solace" was completed, when she ran into producer Barbara Broccoli, the producer had started to lament on how her character was killed off in the movie.
29.  During the filming of “The Disappearance of Alice Creed,” she was given a choice to use a body double for her nude scene, but Arterton refused it saying she had to do it herself, to convey genuine fear.
30.  Following her insistence, she was given a safe word to say when she felt uncomfortable so that they can immediately stop filming.
31.  Gemma Arterton Net Worth: $13 Million