Facing classism: Why ‘Bond girl’ Gemma Arterton threatened to quit during the shooting of ‘Quantam of Solace’
Since the 1960s, the James Bond film franchise has become a cultural institution. Various actors have taken on the role of the 007 agent over the years, helping the series become one of Britain’s most beloved cinematic exports. However, one of the most controversial aspects of the franchise has always been its depiction of women—something that has only improved in recent years.
For decades, ‘Bond girls’ were typically depicted as scantily-clad sidekicks – usually love interests or the occasional villain. These women were pretty much cast because of their looks, judged on how well they could act as pieces of eye candy, and little else. Many critics and scholars have discussed the problematic depiction of women in Bond movies over the years, and several actors have even spoken out about the ‘curse’ that being a ‘Bond girl’ seemed to lead to.
Take Luciana Paluzzi for example, who once revealed, “To do a Bond picture is a blessing, but it’s also a curse. When I went back to Italy, the Fellinis, Antonionis, and Viscontis wanted nothing to do with me.” These women were seen by many as objects, not established actors, subsequently struggling to find roles in other films.
Talking to MI6 Headquarters, a James Bond fan website, Martine Beswick revealed that “it’s really hard to break out of the mould” of being a ‘Bond girl’, claiming that “only a few have succeeded” in making careers for themselves. In the past 20 years or so, women have begun to be portrayed with more agency within the world of 007, with actors like Léa Seydoux and Rosamund Pike playing characters with complexity and independence.
However, misogyny isn’t the only issue some Bond girls have had to deal with. For Gemma Arterton, who played Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace, classism became a prominent factor in the actor’s experience of shooting, leading her to debate quitting. Born into a working-class family, Arterton grew up on a council estate in Kent, raised by a single mother. After studying to become an actor, she landed her first role in St Trinian’s, a popular comedy that saw her play the head girl.
When she was cast as Strawberry Fields in 2008’s Quantum of Solace, the second movie to star Daniel Craig as James Bond, she was soon told that her accent was not acceptable. Talking to GQ, she revealed that an American film executive was not impressed by her natural voice and told her she’d only ever play a maid if she didn’t adjust her accent. “I said, ‘Hello! I’m playing a Bond girl who works for the British consulate!’ I was so annoyed I nearly walked out… I went through this whole thing of, ‘I’m common compared to all these Oxford graduates. I don’t know anything.’”
Finding it hard not to feel like the odd one out when such a large percentage of British actors come from privileged and privately educated backgrounds, Arterton debated whether she should walk away. It’s not the only time she has been told to change her voice, either, with Arterton revealing in the same interview that Stephen Frears told her, “Well, you’re going to have to sort that out” when he heard her natural accent.
