Big Screen
You spent a great deal of time training
for
Quantum of Solace
. Howwas that?
I did a lot of fight training and weapons
training. Itwas a lot of fun and hardwork.
I was training for four hours a day for a
month before I started shooting. Then,
during the shoot, I did training whenever
I hada freeday. Itwas quite aphysical six
months. I loved it.
Didyouget anadrenaline rush from it?
Ofcourse!Itwasgreat.EverythingI learned
during Bond, I would never have learned
anywhere else. It’s just fun todo things like
that. It keeps you alive andwakes you up.
Evenwhen it’s scary, it makes you excited.
That’swhat it’s about. If youdon’t feel any-
thing, itmeans you’re dead.
What was the most difficult stunt for
youtodo?
Theboat chase. Itwasverydif-
ficultbecausefilming lasted for twoweeks,
and it was very complicated. The boat was going really fast, and
thewavesmade it difficult to hold on.We had tofight and act.
What is your character, Camille, like?
She’s a woman who
doesn’t buy intomanipulation. She’s quite smart. She knowswhat
she’s good at and is strong, independent, andquite feisty.
IssheagoodBondgirl orabadBondgirl?
Itdependsonwhom
she’s with. She’s kind of amanipulator. She’s after revenge and is
really concentratedon that. [CamilleandBond] have totallydiffer-
entgoals, but theirpathscross, andat somepoint, they realize that
they have to get along.
What can you tell us about your costar Daniel Craig, who
playsJamesBond?
He’s a reallypleasant person. He’s very funny,
and hemakes a lot of jokes on the set. I think he’s very grounded.
You’ve filmed in countries such as Turkey, Israel, and Bul-
garia. Of the places you’ve shot in, which is your favorite?
Theplace that really interestedmewasChile. Iwent toVallede la
Luna, and itwas amazing.Wedidn’t shoot there, but I got aday to
visit. And theSanBlas Islands of Panama are really beautiful.
IfLooks
CouldKill
How did relative newcomer
Olga Kurylenko land a role as
the newest Bond girl?We
submit the accompanying photo
as Exhibit A. By Bryan Reesman
HONEYRYDER
in
Dr.No
(1962)
— The image of
a bikini-clad Ursula An-
dress is forever burned
into our brains. But we love her for more
than her looks: Her character is smart and
resilient too.
TRACY DI VICENZO
in
OnHerMajesty’sSecret
Service
(1969)
— The
daughter of a mafioso
is saved from a suicide attempt by 007
and wins over the agent’s heart. Only the
spunky and clever Diana Rigg, famous for
playing
The Avengers
’ Emma Peel, could
pull off this seemingly impossible task.
XENIA ONATOPP
in
GoldenEye
(1995)
—
Famke Janssen’s vil-
lainous operative is a
deadly beauty with powerful thighs that
can crush a man in scant seconds. She’s
a brutal opponent who redefines the term
killer legs
.
WAI LIN
in
Tomorrow
Never Dies
(1997)
—
Michelle Yeoh plays the
perfect counter to Bond.
She’s a woman with amazingmartial-arts
skills and a quickwit. Though she and007
are sent tokill oneanother, theyeventually
become allies, and for a short time, lovers.
Hailing from a humble Ukrainian background,
Olga Kurylenko has achieved plenty in
her 29 years. She embarked on a successful modeling career in her early teens, eventu-
allymoving to the fashion capital of Paris. She appeared on numerousmagazine covers
andbecame the faceof several clothingandbeauty-product lines. In2005, shebranched
out into acting, most notably portraying a vampire in
Paris, je t’aime
and a crime lord’s
girlfriend oppositeTimothyOlyphant in
Hitman
.
Now theUkrainianbeautycanaddBondgirl tohergrowing listof accomplishments. In
thismonth’s007outing,
QuantumofSolace
,Kurylenkowillwowmoviegoerswithnot just
her sultry looksbut also some solid stuntwork (which forcedher toovercomeher fear of
heights). She spoke tous about becomingpart of sucha famous cinematic lineage.
With her turn in
Quantum of
Solace
,
OlgaKurylenko
becomes
the newestmember of the
world’smost exclusive sorority.
Every fan of the007 franchise
has a favorite femme fatale (or
two).We submit our list of the
best Bondgirls to shake, not stir,
the debate. —B.R.
BevyofBeauties
76 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 1 2008
