Eva Green
In Casino Royale, the eagerly awaited 21st James bond picture, introducing Daniel Craig in the iconic part, the beautiful French actress Eva Green plays the crucial role of Vesper Lynd, the Treasury officer who’s assigned to deliver Bond’s stake for the poker game and watch over the government’s money.
For director Martin Campbell, the relationship between Bond and Vesper is the spine of the story. He says: “We needed an actress who could hold her own against Bond. There’s no doubt that this is the best female role in all of Ian Fleming’s books, so we tested extensively to ensure that we cast the most suitable actress
Eva has all the qualities we were after: She’s a terrific actress, she’s gorgeous, and she has an air of mystery about her, which is essential for the role of Vesper. Eva worked incredibly hard to create this role and take it to place I hadn’t read into the script. It’s been a joy to see her work and expand the character.
The Parisian-born Green, whose mother is the famous actress Marlen Jobert, made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s erotic drama, “The Dreamers” (1983).
First Woman Bond Falls For
Green says she was intrigued by the role of Vesper, because she’s the first woman Bond falls for and by whom he ultimately feels betrayed. It’s one of the bets scripts I’ve read in a long time. It’s deep, with lots of twists and turns, and the love story moved me. Vesper is a complex person. She’s full of secrets and I think that is why James Bond is attracted to herbecause he can’t really see through her. She is like a Sphinx. She has many layersshe’s sharp, sassy, quick-witted, but also vulnerable. Vesper and Bond spark off each other, they are always bantering and they understand each other o the surface.
Not the Iconic Bond Girl
Vesper is not the classic iconic Bond girl, wearing a bikini, being sexy and firing guns. There is more to her than that. She is the first woman Ian Fleming wrote about and she has a great impact on Bond’s life. She is the root of all the Bond women who follow, and she explains why he behaves the way he does with those women.
Daniel Craig as the New Bond
Daniel Craig is hypnotic and magnetic. He’s a gentleman, he’s strong, and he’s not mannered. His ruggedness is attractive, and probably quite dangerous. He is sexy but not self-conscious, which is very important for a man, and he has a sense of humor, another plus. I definitely feel there’s strong chemistry between us on screen.
New Skills
Although I was not involved in many of the film’s elaborate action sequences, I had to learn scuba diving for the final scene, where Vesper is trapped in a fallen elevator cage inside a dilapidated Venetian palazzo. I had to learn how to control my breathing under water. In the beginning it was scary, though, of course, it’s perfectly safe, because there are so many people looking after you. Also I am nearsighted, so I couldn’t really see what was going on. I rehearsed in clear water, but during the takes, the water had to be murky, like the Grand Canal. I think they used broccoli to get the right color.
On the Producers
Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson are passionate about filmmaking and will do anything to make it work. I’ve never had such positive involvement from producers before. In the beginning, they helped me enormously with the character. They made me feel as if I was part of this big family. Being surrounded by calm people keeps the pressure off, and I could just focus on the work at hand.
Attracting New Moviegoers
I believe that Casino Royale’s involving storyline and romance gives it the potential to attract moviegoers beyond the legion of die-hard 007 fans. Of course, it’s an action movie and a thriller, but it’s also a love story, and I think women will identify with Vesper and be moved by her predicament.
Casino Royale Vs. the Other Bonds
This is a different James Bondraw and realistic. I think our movie is more gritty and realistic and based more on characters than action. People will see Bond in a different light. You see Bond’s flaws and watch him become the Bond you think you know.
