Where are you right now Naomie?
I’m in Turkey, we have had quite a lot of rain for the last couple of months but the last couple of weeks have been much warmer.

How long have you got left in Turkey?
We’re here until mid-May, so quite a lot to do.

What was the audition process like for you?
Debbie McWilliams, who casts a lot of the Bond films, came to see me in Frankenstein at the National Theatre, London, and she thought I would be good for the role so she asked me to come in and audition. That was really just going on tape at EON headquarters and then I was asked to do a screen test, then asked to meet Sam and Barbara Broccoli.

Are you quite chilled in those situations or sitting at home crossing your fingers?
I didn’t think I was very appropriate for a Bond actress – so I didn’t think I had a chance. I knew they were auditioning all around Europe so I thought I was one of thousands to bulk up the numbers or something. So at first I wasn’t nervous at all, but after the screen test I couldn’t help but think, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be great?’ but generally I’m like, ‘Whatever is meant to be will happen’. I don’t hold onto things too tightly. But by the third audition I started to get really nervous, as if they were asking me to meet Sam and Barbara and they’re telling me I’m down to the last four it must be quite serious. By then I was desperate for the role.

How did you celebrate getting the part?
I was in Washington promoting The First Grader, which was one of the films Barbara saw me in, I was with the director, Justin Chadwick, doing press and was told I couldn’t tell anyone, that it was top secret and they didn’t want anything announced for two months. It was really difficult as I wanted to scream it from the rooftops and tell everyone as I was so happy. The only person I ended up telling was the director. I called home and told my family who were all screaming and so excited.

Your videoblog on 007.com shows you doing some pretty intensive gun training.
Yes, I’ve been doing months and months of training. It’s been four months in total – more training than I have ever done for anything else.

Are you pretty handy with a gun now?
I have had this amazing gun trainer, Joss Skottowe. I’ve learnt how a gun should be treated and it’s all ‘safety first’ I had to be on the gun range twice a week so I was really comfortable with guns.

Which gun was the most difficult to shoot?
The Glocks because they have the hardest kicks. They’re really ugly as well. The Walther PPK is quite beautiful, which is a weird thing to say about a gun, but it’s really well made and feels good in your hand and being a woman it’s small but relatively light. The Glock is big and unattractive looking. It’s just an ugly piece of machinery. You get a big kick back and sprayed with this hot stuff from the blanks right in your face, which is not very pleasant.

Have you picked up any injuries?
I have been running with my trainer three times a week and never had a problem, but recently I jumped out of a car and whilst running, I twisted my hip in the wrong position – it’s fine now.

So is Eve a full-on action role?
Most of my action scenes have been since I came out to Turkey. It’s all action from here on out.

Apart from the gun training what other skills have you had to sharpen up on?
I’ve been doing a lot of car training. It’s been brilliant for my actual driving. I can’t tell you how much my day to day driving has improved. That’s been so much fun – doing things like driving a Land Rover really fast on tarmac and then stopping dead, which makes any car skid wildly out of control and you have to pump the brakes to regain control. It’s doing the things you are told when you first learn to drive a car, that when a car starts to skid you’re supposed to go with it, but you never actually get to experience that unless you’re in an accident. But to have that experience in a controlled environment and to see how the car reacts and how you can bring it back under control is really exhilarating and very empowering to have learnt these new skills. Ultimately, on set you never do anything as dangerous as you do in training, they’re much more dramatic and scary in training and it gives you extra confidence when you’re on set.

What’s your costume like, is it sexy or functional?
Ha! Eve wears practical clothes but this is a Bond film so you have to add a bit of glamour. So instead of your normal action trousers I have leather action trousers. So that’s nice.

So does Eve get to ‘slip into something more comfortable’?
Well maybe, you never know. I can’t say.

What’s it been like working with Sam Mendes?
It’s been the highlight of working on the movie. I absolutely love Sam. He’s got a great sense of humour, is always jovial and incredibly calm. The feel of the set comes from the director and he brings his calmness to the unit. I remember thinking on my first day of filming, ‘Oh my gosh it’s Bond, there’s going to be so many people, it’s going to be so big’ but actually it was quiet and there weren’t that many people around and that’s because that’s how Sam likes it. You really feel you are able to concentrate on the action without any of the fanfare and without feeling a million eyes watching you. He’s also brilliant at working out what you need as an actor, he’s very particular so you know you’re going to do as many takes as you need to get it right, so you feel you are in very safe hands.

It’s Bond’s 50th anniversary, did you grow up watching the movies?
Totally. I’ve always loved Bond movies, I grew up with them, as did everyone of my generation. They have that magic formula to keep all generations engaged. And I love the fact that with time they have got more reflective of society, so the roles of women have got stronger, Bond has become more human and more fallible. I love that evolution.

Have you gone back and watched any of the classic Bond films?
I mainly watched the recent ones, CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE.

Have you got a favourite Bond actress?
I’ve always loved Halle Berry. I’m a huge fan of hers. I loved her in DIE ANOTHER DAY and she always brings a classy elegance to everything she does. And the fact she was quite an action girl as well was great. She was kick-ass.

Do you feel part of the Bond family now?
Yeah I definitely feel that, because most of the people who work on the film have worked on nearly every Bond film. My driver has worked on the films for 18 years! So it really does feel like a family, people are well treated, they love the films and that’s what keeps them coming back. Once you’re part of the club, that’s it for life. I think that comes from Michael G. Wilson and Barbara, they are very generous and caring.

Have you filmed much with Daniel Craig?
I have. He’s a fantastic actor. One of the things I love about him is he has a great sense of humour and the ability to laugh at himself. So he’s always lightening the tone. Even in serious atmospheres, Daniel comes on set, and suddenly everyone is laughing and he’s making fun of himself and being silly. He makes it all fun.

Has being in SKYFALL suddenly meant that you’re on the paparazzi’s radar?
Everybody said that once the announcement came out I’d be followed everywhere by the press, but I haven’t really had that. Two journalists did go to my mum’s house, but my mum is a very strong character and probably scared them more than they scared her. At the moment my life hasn’t changed.

What was it like attending this year’s BAFTA’s?
That was very different. I have been before but never walked the red carpet where everyone is screaming your name and waving pictures of you. The level of recognition and the association with Bond means that people are a lot more interested.

Pic: Gavin Bond

Bérénice Marlohe SKYFALL videoblog

Naomie Harris SKYFALL videoblog

Click here for pre-order info

Fancy seeing all 22 of the James Bond films like you’ve never seen them before – with incredible eye-popping picture and crystal clear sound – in one cool box set? Well now, finally, you can.

To celebrate Bond’s golden anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment recently announced at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show for anyone not up on their acronyms) in Las Vegas that BOND 50, a collectible box set featuring all of the films from the franchise – from DR. NO to QUANTUM OF SOLACE – will be available for the first time in one offering.

This special collection also features the high definition Blu-ray debut of nine of the James Bond films and includes more than 130 hours of bonus features (with some new and exclusive content) all packaged up in one super-sleek collectable box set. It’s available for worldwide pre-order today from participating online retailers.

Acclaimed Bond directors John Glen (five Bond films including FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, OCTOPUSSY, A VIEW TO A KILL, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and LICENCE TO KILL), Martin Campbell (GOLDENEYE, CASINO ROYALE) and Michael Apted (THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH) with special guests Olga Kurylenko (QUANTUM OF SOLACE) and Caterina Murino (CASINO ROYALE) made the Blu-ray announcement during a Directors’ Panel discussion in the Panasonic Booth at CES.

“With all 22 feature films available on Blu-ray in one collection for the first time this is a great way for fans to catch up on 007’s epic journey before Skyfall hits theaters next Fall,” said Michael Brown, Senior Vice President, MGM Home Entertainment.  “Now viewers can enjoy the intense action of the innovative franchise in the most immersive home experience possible.”

Click here for pre-order info

]]> http://www.007.com/bond-50-on-blu-ray-news/feed/ 0 http://www.007.com/new-skyfall-production-videoblog/ http://www.007.com/new-skyfall-production-videoblog/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 05:55:41 +0000 AI http://www.007.com/?p=959 http://www.007.com/new-skyfall-production-videoblog/feed/ 0 http://www.007.com/bond-back-in-turkey/ http://www.007.com/bond-back-in-turkey/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:57:09 +0000 AI http://www.007.com/?p=907

With the SKYFALL crew now in Istanbul, Turkey, this marks the third time in the 50 Year history of the James Bond franchise that the city has served as a backdrop to 007’s adventures, with previous outings including FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

And whilst Daniel Craig has arrived in the city with the cast and crew of SKYFALL, Istanbul isn’t the only Turkish location the team has been visiting; further filming locations include Adana and the coastal city of Fethiye.

To mark the occasion, a photocall and press conference was held today with producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, director Sam Mendes, and cast members Daniel Craig, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, and Ola Rapace.

Click below to see all of the images from the SKYFALL press conference in Istanbul and a set of classic FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE pics

In this new SKYFALL production videoblog we see Second Unit Director Alexander Witt and the Bond crew, including 1st Assistant Director Michael Lerman, scouting for Chinese locations, prepping scenes and shooting a sequence on Shanghai’s otherworldly blue neon soaked highways. We also get a sneak peek at the shooting of SKYFALL scenes featuring Bérénice Marlohe as Severine, Ola Rapace as the mysterious Patrice and of course, Daniel Craig as 007.

]]> http://www.007.com/skyfall-in-shanghai/feed/ 0 http://www.007.com/activision-announce-new-bond-game/ http://www.007.com/activision-announce-new-bond-game/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:58:22 +0000 AI http://www.007.com/?p=892

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of James Bond, Activision Publishing, together with EON Productions, have announced the launch of 007 LEGENDS.

To be launched this autumn on both PS3 and Xbox 360, 007 LEGENDS ambitiously ties together the storylines from six classic Bond films, concluding with this year’s much-anticipated installment, SKYFALL. The multiplayer experience promises four local-player split-screen game modes with new maps, weapons and characters derived from Bond’s 50-year legacy.

Alongside the main overarching storyline, the game will feature the return of the single player Mi6 Ops Missions, which debuted in GOLDENEYE 007: Reloaded and became an immediate fan favourite.

As well as Bond’s signature Walther PPK, players will have access to an arsenal of state-of-the-art gadgets and weapons, plus vehicles, exotic locations and of course, the gorgeous Bond women. And for the first time ever, players will be able to participate as one of Bond’s villainous foes, reliving the missions through their eyes, as well as 007’s.

We’ll bring you more news (including the 007 LEGENDS player website and Facebook page details) as we get it.

Click below to see all the newest images from SKYFALL.

Watch Bérénice Marlohe and Naomie Harris’ first videoblogs here

Bérénice Marlohe SKYFALL videoblog

Naomie Harris SKYFALL videoblog

This summer the Barbican Centre in London, with the support of Swarovski, will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond franchise from 1962’s DR. NO to SKYFALL in 2012 by joining forces with EON Productions to create a unique exhibition showcasing half a century of Bond style. Designing 007 – 50 Years Of Bond Style is a unique, multi-sensory experience covering five decades, six actors and a legion of highly skilled adversaries that takes Bond fans through a 50 year journey covering some of cinema’s most iconic artefacts. In providing unprecedented access to its archive, EON has opened the doors to half a century of sets, automobiles and gadgets, including work by special effects experts John Stears and Chris Corbould and artwork for sets and storyboards by production designers Sir Ken Adam, Syd Cain and Peter Lamont. But of course it’s the lavish costumes and livery that are destined to steal the show, with items from fashion heavyweights Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Tom Ford, Hubert de Givenchy, Gucci’s Frida Giannini, Douglas Hayward, Rifat Ozbek, Jenny Packham, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Anthony Sinclair, Philip Treacy, Emanuel Ungaro, Donatella Versace and Anthony Mendleson all taking their pride of place at this unique exhibition.

“We intend, having explored the contents of the extensive EON archives, to thrill visitors with an insight into some of the design processes involved in the many different ways of making the Bond films,” explains costume designer and Oscar® winner Lindy Hemming, whose own work sits alongside Bond’s bespoke tailors Anthony Sinclair, Douglas Hayward and Tom Ford.

And for those lacking a keen sense of tailoring, fear not; there is a plethora of props, weapons, production designs, special effects and accessories – including the steel teeth worn by Richard “Jaws” Kiel on show.

Designing 007 – 50 Years Of Bond runs from 6 July – 5 September 2012

Click here for further details