This time last year Gemma Arterton was an unknown actress who had just finished drama school. One year on and she has a role in Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, will be a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace and is currently filming alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as ‘lead female’ in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Not a bad year in my opinion.

Gemma recently spoke to MyParkMag about starring in films dominated by males such as RocknRolla and Prince of Persia.

“I came on set and I, literally, was the totty. I had tight jeans on and a tight top with a push-up bra. Everybody was like, ‘A girl?!’ and talking to me at boob height. I thought, ‘I’ll let you off, as you haven’t had any boobs to stare at for a while.’

“Sometimes it’s nice to be around blokes though, because I don’t fuss too much about hair and make-up and neither do they? It’s quite tiring when you’ve got loads of girls ‘Oh, I don’t want that in my hair.’ ”

She added: “On ‘Bond’ it was fine. Although I didn’t get any time with Olga there were plenty of girls in the crew. In my next project, ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ I’m the only girl in the whole film. It’s a boy’s world, but I’m quite cool with that.”

Quantum of Solace is released on October 31st, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be out in 2010.

Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, starring Gerard Butler and Thandie Newton, is due for release by Warner Bros in October in the States. However, producer Joel Silver is out and about shopping it to studios such as Lionsgate and Sony Pictures. Why is this?

The Los Angeles Times explains,

Silver was looking for a buyer for the film. People who’ve seen the film say it’s not bad at all. But as Warners goes through the arduous process of absorbing two dozen or so New Line films into its distribution system, the studio simply has too many movies to release, so it’s starting to pick out the weak calves from the herd.

If people say the film is not bad why is it considered one of the ‘weak calves’? Well the LA Times spoke with Warners chief Alan Horn, and he had this to say,

“I think it’s a well-made picture, but while it’s funny in spots, it’s very English,” he said. “I don’t think it’s broadly commercial. It feels like a film that deserves a spirited release, but not a wide one. Joel has an 800-screen deal, which we’ll honor, but we might not be willing to spend the marketing money he wants us to.”

So because the film is ‘very english’ Warner Bros don’t know how to go about marketing it and are therefore not willing to spend the money. Producer Joel Silver would rather get another studio to buy and release the film so that it can get a wider release, more than the 800 screens Warner Bros intend.

Being an English person I am a little disgruntled by the fact a movie is considered a ‘weak calf’ just because it is English. Are Gerard Butler and Thandie Newton not big enough actors in the States to promote a film? Or is this a case of the big movie studio thinking the American public won’t be interested in a film not set in America with American actors, when in fact they may be?

USA people give me your thoughts on RocknRolla! Below is the trailer to remind you how English it is:

Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla isn’t even out yet, however he revealed to wenn that he has already got a second film lined up.

“I’ve written one. So people better go see it. It’ll allow me to make the next one.”

RocknRolla will be out on September 5th in the UK and October 31st in the US. It stars Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Jeremy Piven, and follows London gangsters fighting for a share of a real estate scam.

Warner Bros have released a new poster for RocknRolla staring Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven and Idris Elba.

RocknRolla will be out in the UK on September 5th and in the US on October 31st.