Ibsen star: Gemma Arterton has agreed to star in Kenneth McLeish's translation of Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder Gemma Arterton broke off from her honeymoon to sign on to play one of the great classical roles for an actress.
The 24-year-old, who married Stefano Catelli in Spain earlier this month, has agreed to play opposite Stephen Dillane in Kenneth McLeish's translation of Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder - a play of heady symbolism, betrayal and sexual passion.
Theproduction will be directed by California-based Travis Preston, who also directed Dillane in Macbeth for the Almeida five years ago.
Gemma, regarded as one of the hottest young British actresses, will play the irrepressible Hilde Wangel at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, North London, with performances beginning on November 12 and running through January 8.
As Michael Attenborough, the Almeida's artistic director, noted, Hilde is 'one of the great parts for a young woman in classical theatre'.
'It's a sensational role, and the chance to play opposite Stephen Dillane doubles the sensation, really,' he told me.
The name's Bond: Arterton famously starred alongside Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace
School's out: She also played head girl Kelly in St. Trinian's in 2007The last time we spoke, Gemma had completed her West End debut in Jamie Lloyd's production of the satire The Little Dog Laughed and was, she said, 'gagging to get back on stage'.
She added: 'I didn't spend all that time studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art learning about stage craft just for the sake of it.
'Of course there are pressures on me to do the big films, but that's not all that I'm about.
'Acting is my career, and going on stage as regularly as possible is vital to me.'
In fact, her first move on leaving Rada was to play Rosaline in Love's Labours Lost for Dominic Dromgoole at Shakespeare's Globe.
Her insistence on doing as much theatre work as possible comes off the back of a string of recent screen roles, including parts in the St Trinian's films; a Bond girl in Quantum Of Solace; a kidnap victim in the Disappearance Of Alice Creed; a kick-ass princess in The Prince Of Persia; and her best screen role to date, the title role in Tamara Drewe - Stephen Frears's adaptation of Posy Simmonds's graphic novel.
Almeida chief Attenborough has known of Arterton's talent ever since he gave a two-day workshop to third-year students at Rada.
He used to warn his classes that, more than likely, he would forget their names the minute he left the auditorium.
'It's extremely hard to forget the name Gemma Arterton, I have to tell you,' he said. 'I absolutely remembered her. She was corking when I worked with her.
'The camera tells you she's beautiful, but the huge difference is that she's an absolute humdinger, 100 per cent, proper actress.
'Listen, I was married to a Bond girl,' he told me, referring to his brief marriage in the early Seventies to Jane Seymour.
'I know it's a very well-paid job and I have no truck with anybody who sneers at that kind of work. But, at the sametime,Gemma is capable of serious work.
'Movie studios jump on the pretty girls and, of course, they are offering them six-figure sums.
'So it takes a lot of guts and a lot of savvy to say: "Hang on a minute - I want to do great classical roles",' added Attenborough, who has just directed award-winning Ruth Wilson at the Almeida in Through A Glass Darkly.
source: dailymail
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