Eva Green
Eva Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eva Gaëlle Green |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, model |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Eva Gaëlle Green[1] (/ɛva gʁeːn/) (born July 5 1980) is an actress, raised in Paris and living in London. She has been noted by Vogue for her "killer looks, intelligence and modesty",[2] and has been described by The Independent as "gothic, quirky, [and] sexy".[3]
The daughter of actress Marlene Jobert, Green performed in theatre before making her film debut in The Dreamers (2003), which generated controversy over her numerous nude scenes. She achieved greater fame for her parts in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, for which she won a BAFTA. She has also modelled for numerous brands.
Early life
Eva Green was born in Paris, France on July 5 1980 to French actress Marlene Jobert and Swedish dentist Walter Green. She has a non-identical twin sister named Joy, who was born two minutes earlier than her.[4] Green described her family as "bourgeois",[5] and that her sister is very different from her.[6]
Green was raised in France, as well as Ramsgate, London and Ireland.[7] Green was quiet at school,[6] and developed an interest in Egyptology when she visited the Louvre aged seven.[8] Green aspired to become an actress when she saw Isabelle Adjani in The Story of Adele H. at the age of fourteen. Jobert initially feared the effect an acting career would have on her sensitive daughter, but she soon supported her ambitions.[7]
Career
At seventeen,[9] Green enrolled at Eva St. Paul Drama School in Paris for three years, and then spent ten weeks at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[1] Green stated that at drama school, "I always picked the really evil roles. It's a great way to deal with your everyday emotions."[10] Green trained at Tisch School of the Arts in New York City,[2] before she returned to Paris, where she performed in several plays.[7] Green was nominated for a Les Molieres for her performance in Jalousie en Trois Fax.[11]
Director Bernardo Bertolucci discovered Green in 2002, and found her "so beautiful, it's indecent". She accepted his invitation to star in The Dreamers (2003), despite her parents' initial objections because of Maria Schneider's traumatisation after filming Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris.[7] Green performed extensive nude scenes, which felt natural once on set,[12] though she was embarrassed when her family saw the film.[7] In addition to performing, Green was also credited with writing the score. Her performance was well received, with some comparing her to Liv Tyler.[2] Green expressed surprise when American censors cut a minute from the film, as "there is so much violence, both on the streets and on the screen. They think nothing of it. Yet I think they are frightened by sex."[7] Green followed up The Dreamers with Arsene Lupin (2004), in the light-hearted part of a love interest which she had fun playing, though she generally preferred more complex parts.[11]
It was her performance in The Dreamers that convinced Ridley Scott to cast Green in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), a film about the Crusades where she played Sibylla of Jerusalem. Green performed six screen tests, and was hired with only a week before principal photography began.[1] Green found the atmosphere of coming onto a film so late tense and exciting, and also liked the film's ambiguity in approaching its subject matter.[10] To her disappointment, much of her screentime was cut.[1] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com praised her performance as "She doesn't quite know what to do with her character's stilted dialogue, but she carries herself so regally that you barely notice",[13] but Nev Pierce of the BBC called her character "limp".[14] Green was satisfied when her character's complex subplot was restored in the director's cut.[15] Total Film noted the new scenes completed her performance: "In the theatrical cut, Princess Sibylla sleeps with Balian and then, more or less, loses her mind. Now we understand why. Not only does Sibylla have a young son, but when she realises he's inflicted with leprosy just like her brother Baldwin, she decides to take his life shortly after he's been crowned king."[16]
Green was considered for parts in The Constant Gardener (a role which went to Rachel Weisz) and The Black Dahlia.[7] She was a piece of last-minute casting for the role of Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006).[8] Green was approached in mid-2005 but turned it down.[15] Principal photography was already underway, and director Martin Campbell noted casting the role was difficult because "we didn't have the final script and a Bond girl always had the connotation of tits 'n' ass." Campbell saw Green's performance in the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven,[17] and Green was approached again. She read the script, and found the character of Vesper far deeper than most Bond girls.[15] Green's performance was well received: Entertainment Weekly called her the fourth best Bond girl of all time,[18] and she won a BAFTA and an Empire award for her performance. Both were voted for by the British public.[19]
Green is playing the witch Serafina Pekkala in the film adaptation of His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (2007), and will return to shoot two sequels if she wishes. Green hoped the religious themes of the book would be preserved,[15] but references to Catholicism were removed from the film.[20] She might also return for Bond 22 (2008) in a flashback or pre-recorded message following her character's death.[21] In addition to her acting career, Green has modelled for Breil, Emporio Armani, Lancome, Heineken,[8] and Christian Dior SA's "Midnight Poison" perfume, in an advert directed by Wong Kar-wai.[22] She has also expressed interest in returning to the theatre,[12] and has no plans to go to work in Hollywood because, "The problem with Hollywood is that the studios are super powerful, they have far more power than the directors. My ambition at this moment is just to find a good script."[23]
Personal life
Green considers herself nerdy:[8] "When people first meet me, they find me very cold. I keep myself at a distance, and I think that's why I'm so drawn to [acting]. It allows me to wear a mask."[9] She moved to Primrose Hill, London, in mid-2005,[4] which she prefers to Paris: "I feel more centred when I'm [there]."[7] She lives alone, jokingly referring to her border terrier, Griffin, as her "husband".[8] In early 2007, she was dating her Kingdom of Heaven co-star Marton Csokas.[7] She has no particular fitness regime, as, "I'm French and I'm lazy, which means I smoke and I don't exercise",[24] though she does running and pilates. Green finds dieting too stressful.[23] She thinks of herself as an international actress:[11] she can speak both English and French fluently,[7] and is also learning Japanese[25] as well as perfecting an American accent.[11]
Green's favourite film is Cries and Whispers, and she is a fan of directors François Truffaut,[26] Ingmar Bergman,[8] Tim Burton,[26] Lars von Trier,[8] David Lynch,[27] and David Fincher.[27] She admires the actresses Lauren Bacall,[8] Marlene Dietrich,[8] Bette Davis,[8] Jeanne Moreau,[6] Cate Blanchett,[6] Juliette Binoche,[6] and Helena Bonham Carter.[6] She credits Blanchett and Kirsten Dunst as her fashion influences, describing her own taste as, "bright pink lipstick, hot pink or geisha colors. Make up is allowed to be a bit weird, I feel."[23] Her favourite artists are Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele,[2] and she is a keen museum visitor.[28] Green enjoys music, listening to film soundtracks and classical music when preparing for roles,[29] and she plays the piano.[30]
Filmography
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Dreamers | 2003 | Isabelle |
| Arsène Lupin | 2004 | Clarisse de Dreux-Soubise |
| Kingdom of Heaven | 2005 | Sibylla |
| Casino Royale | 2006 | Vesper Lynd |
| His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass | 2007 | Serafina Pekkala |
| Franklyn | TBA | Emilia |
References
- ^ a b c d "Eva Green Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ a b c d Monique Webber (January 2007). "The Green Mile". Australian Vogue. p. 90.
- ^ "Eva Green". The Independent Magazine. 2007-04-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Charlotte Williamson (June 2005). "Green Goddess". Harpers & Queen. p. 111.
- ^ Richard Kern (2003). "Eva Green". Index Magazine. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Neil Young (2003-12-30). "Eva Green: Confessions of a nervous". Neil Young's Film Lounge. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j Stuart Jeffries (2007-01-26). "He's the Bond girl, not me". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sharon Verghis (2006-12-03). "Not easy being Green". The Age. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Caroline Palmer (October 2003). "Mystery Girl". Vogue. p. 290.
- ^ a b Anwar Brett (2005-05-04). "Eva Green - Kingdom of Heaven". BBC. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Daniel Schweiger (May 2005). "All Hail The Queen: Eva Green Rules Supreme Over The Kingdom of Heaven". Venice. pp. 60–63.
- ^ a b Steve Russell (2005-03-24). "Auteur's Muse". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Stephanie Zacharek (2005-05-06). "Kingdom of Heaven". Salon.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Nev Pierce (2005-05-06). "Kingdom of Heaven". BBC. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Edward Douglas (2006-11-14). "Eva Green's Envious Role". Superherohype.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Kingdom Of Heaven: Director's Cut - DVD Review". Total Film. July 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ Edward Douglas (2006-11-14). "Casino Royale Director Martin Campbell". Superherohype.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Joshua Rich (2007-03-30). "The 10 Best Bond Girls". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "James Bond conquers Empire Awards". BBC News. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Golden Compass". 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "More hints Eva Green will return in Bond 22". Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ "Eva Green to become new face of Christian Dior perfume". MI6.co.uk. 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Steffanie Bottelier (September 2007). "Een vrouw ais Eva" (in Dutch). Netherlands Elle. p. 230.
- ^ Louis B. Hobson (2005-05-12). "Q&A with Eva Green". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "007 piangera sulla mia spalla" (in Italian). Io Donna. December 2006. p. 90.
- ^ a b Marcello Garofolo (October 2003). "Il sesso giovanne" (in Italian). Ciak. p. 47.
- ^ a b "Eva Green Interview". Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ^ "Desnudarse es desinhibirse" (in Spanish). Fotogramas. November 2005. p. 176.
- ^ Michelle Said (May/June 2005). "Gallic Gal". Movieline Hollywood Life.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Eva Green On The Golden Compass, Bond and her Orange Rising Star nomination". Empire. Retrieved 2007-08-27.