Eva
Green personifies the sassy Vesper Lynd sent by the British Treasury
to supervise James Bond in the upcoming film CASINO
ROYALE. She is perfectly cast as a different type of Bond
girl who is witty, intellectual, graceful and tough. She has a
classic beauty and a mysterious air about her that is captivating
and intriguing to any man.

Unlike
your conventional sexy bikini clad wearing “Bond Girl” who
is easily seduced and used by Bond, Vesper is quite the opposite of
what you would expect. She is challenging and unattainable. Green’s
performance as Vesper Lynd is spectacular and her onscreen chemistry
with Craig unquestionable.

Although
a newcomer to Hollywood, I am sure that her upcoming performance in
Casino Royale will lead us to see a lot more of her in the future. I
recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Green about her debut in the Bond film. Check out what she had to say.

—
This interview includes SPOILERS so be aware!!! —

Eva
Green

How
did you get involved with this film?

They
approached me like a year and a half before shooting.
I read the script and it was really interesting.
I loved it. I
thought it was very unusual; it was not a typical Bond movie.
Bond is very different, Vesper is very different, she’s not
a “Bond” girl, the thriller is quite dark so I went straight to
the audition and got lucky. I
got the part.

What did you
like about Vesper’s character?

The
fact that she has many dimensions.
She very funny, she’s so sassy, she doesn’t really care
about Bond and she thinks he’s an asshole.
She’s quite closed and then she opens up.
Her character is quiet cold.
It was quite difficult for me to understand the subtext.
It was so crazy and Barbara Broccoli helped me actually a lot
to understand the story.

What do you
think about Vesper leaving her phone for Bond at the end of the
film?

We’ll
understand more of it in the second film but she saves him, his
life. It’s like a
Greek tragedy. She knows
he’s a man of integrity and that if he finds out that she betrayed
him, he won’t forgive her so she commits suicide.
It’s very complex.

Have you tried
one of the Vesper drinks?

Last
night. It’s strong.
It’s not my kind of drink.
I prefer red wine.

What was it
like working with Daniel Craig?

I
met him in the springtime. He
was very low key. It’s
amazing because on screen he’s very still, very intense and in
real life he’s very alive and alert.
I was surprised by that because I was familiar with his work.
He was just wonderful, very patient, very generous that I
hadn’t done much before. He
was very paternal. He’s
such a fantastic actor. We
didn’t have much time to rehearse he’s so strong and visceral,
and yeah a beautiful actor.

Do y you think
women find him sexy?

Yes,
he is very sexy because he’s a man and we don’t have a lot of
men in this business. He’s
not a boy. He doesn’t
look himself in the mirror, he’s broke and rugged and doesn’t
care, and it’s more dangerous and attractive I think.

Have you seen
the previous Bond films?

I’m
not a big Bond fan and haven’t seen all the movies.
I grew up with bond movies but Vespar is so different, Casino
Royale is different than other movies.
People ask me if I called the other bond girls when I got the
part but no (laughs).

You
are much different than the other Bond girls because you are the
only woman he falls in love with. How
do you feel about playing the part of the first “Bond girl” who
Bond falls for?

I
chose to do it because it was a love story.
I just hope that women will like it because it’s quite
different. It’s not
cliché. I mean it’s
not like I’m going be like “oh wow, it’s so flattering I’m
the bond girl, the love of his life.”

You
are definitely different than the other Bond girls.

Oh
yeah, yeah, it’s different. I
mean she loves him too. It
comes from the heart; it’s platonic and romantic.

Which scene was
especially difficult or challenging?

I’m
not going to say the action scenes because she’s not that
athletic. I had a scene
under water but it was not difficult.
It was more like breathing and feeling comfortable under
water. But it was more to understand her, her motivation because
there was always something else going on in her mind.

One
of your most memorable scenes is when you’re sitting in the
shower.

Yes,
yes, I like that scene. It’s
very non-Bond in a way. It’s
tender, they’re not bantering. It’s quite an interesting scene
because she’s in shock, she feels guilty and she doesn’t want to
let him win and she begins to fall in love with him so it’s a
contradiction.

Do
you think the old Bond films are sexist and would you have played a
Bond girl back then?

I
wouldn’t have done a Bond girl, no.
I haven’t seen all of them so I don’t comment but I
don’t think I would have done it.

Did they ask
you to wear a bikini?

No.
I mean I was very clear from beginning with the costume
designer. No, I mean in the
shower I was supposed to wear underwear but that wouldn’t make
sense.

What do you
think the Bond girl role will do for your career from here on?

You
never know. I just want to do
something more edgy or independent. You
never know.

How
is the experience of working on a blockbuster film like this
different than other movies?

I
arrived in the Bahamas and the next day had to do publicity and talk
about the movie. I
hadn’t started shooting and I had a press junket.
I mean it was very, very strange but that’s the only
difference and maybe the action scenes too.
Otherwise the work remains the same.
It was quite intimate on the set, there weren’t’ that
many people. The
exposure was very, very different.

Do you wish you
had more of a physical/action role?

Yeah,
I mean she’s not an action woman but she’s very strong and
cerebral and very brave. She’s
not a scared little lady.

Where do you
live at the moment?

My
parents live in France but I moved to London a year ago.

You
don’t have a trace of a French accent at all.
Your English is remarkable.

Thank
you. I worked hard.

Talk
about what it was like to work with Bertolucci in The Dreamers.

My
best experience. I
really loved doing that movie. He
was really like a father. We
went to his house every Saturday evening and we talked about
politics and music. It
was just very easy. I’m
very proud of that movie.

Did you
anticipate any of the negative publicity of the film and Daniel
Craig?

No.
I didn’t know about it.
When I arrived on set, I read all the magazines and I
didn’t know it was quite nasty.
I heard about all those sites.
I think it’s ridiculous.
I know he was quite nervous in the beginning for sure.
I had heard some bad things about me too.
I don’t look like this or that.

Any idea what
Bertolucci thinks about you playing a Bond girl?

An
Italian journalist told me that he was a but angry that I was doing
a “Bond girl” but he’s like a father and he’s probably
disappointed that I would leave my femme fatale image for a Bond
girl. Maybe I will
invite him to the premiere.

Did you
experience any competition for this role?

No,
I didn’t really experience any competition.
We finished filming recently at the end of July and did the
publicity thing. I’m
not really a competitive person.

What are you
working on next?

His
Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. Daniel
Craig’s in it too. It starts
in September. It is another
big one. I hope it’s not
another Harry Potter.