Terra Nova Blogs: Eva Green

Eva Gaëlle Green (born 5 July 1980) is a French actress, raised in Paris and living partly in London. She has been noted by Vogue for her "killer looks, intelligence and modesty", and described by The Independent as "gothic, quirky, and sexy". 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 modeled for numerous brands.
Her performance in The Dreamers 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. 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. To her disappointment, much of her screen time was cut. Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com praised her performance: "She doesn't quite know what to do with her character's stilted dialogue, but she carries herself so regally that you barely notice." Nev Pierce of the BBC, however, called her character "limp". Green was satisfied when her character's complex subplot was restored in the director's cut. 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 afflicted with leprosy just like her brother Baldwin, she decides to take his life shortly after he's been crowned king."[1Green was considered for parts in The Constant Gardener (a role which went to Rachel Weisz) and The Black Dahlia. She was cast at the last minute in the role of Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006). Green was approached in mid-2005 but turned it down. 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, and Green was approached again. She read the script, and found the character of Vesper far deeper than most Bond girls. Green's performance was well received: Entertainment Weekly called her the fourth best Bond girl of all time; IGN named her the best femme fatale, stating "This is the girl that broke — and therefore made — James Bond"; and she won a BAFTA and an Empire award for her performance. Both were voted for by the British public.

Cracks - Official Trailer

Cracks is an independent drama film starring Eva Green, Juno Temple, María Valverde, and Imogen Poots, which was released theatrically on December 4, 2009. The film was produced in 2008, written for the screen by Caroline Ip and Ben Court and Jordan Scott, based on a novel written by Sheila Kohler, directed by Jordan Scott and produced by Kwesi Dickson, Andrew Lowe, Julie Payne, Rosalie Swedlin and Christine Vachon. Ridley and Tony Scott serve as executive producers. The film was mostly filmed in Wicklow Ireland. Set in a strict elite boarding school in the 1930s, the story centers on a clique of girls who idolize their enigmatic swimming instructor, Miss G (Green). When a beautiful Spanish girl named Fiamma Coronna (Valverde) arrives at the school, Miss G's focus is shifted away from the other girls. Di Radfield (Temple) has a crush on Miss G, and is the firm favourite and ringleader of her group. It becomes a triangle: Miss G gets increasingly obsessed with Fiamma, Fiamma is disturbed by Miss G and also openly disgusted by the teacher's hypocrisies and deceptions, and Di is terribly jealous and makes Fiamma's life hell. The bullying culminates in Di physically throwing Fiamma out of the school. When Fiamma is eventually found, the two girls make the first steps towards friendship, and at the following dorm party they all get a bit drunk, and Fiamma passes out; Miss G takes her to her own room and molests Fiamma; Di witnesses this through the keyhole and flees. The next morning, Fiamma is visibly upset, Miss G equally so as she runs around after her. Di is broody, and eventually tells the rest of her gang that Fiamma seduced Miss G. Fiamma tells Miss G that she will report the molestation to the teachers, and horrified, Miss G realises her career will be over. She in turn manipulates Di's affection for her into anger. The confrontation between Di's gang and Fiamma turns ugly after Fiamma tries to explain what really happened, and as she reveals Miss G's lies and character defects. Fiamma runs into the forest as things become more violent, but the girls catch up with her and, under Di's leadership, beat her up. Fiamma starts to have an asthma attack, and the girls stop, terrified. They run to get help, and Di runs into Miss G, who declares she'll go to Fiamma, and directs Di to the teachers. In the forest, Miss G refuses to give Fiamma her inhaler, and calmly watches her die. Di returns just in time to see Miss G placing the inhaler in Fiamma's lifeless hands, and that's when she realises the truth. Later, Di tells the girls what happened, and united, they confront Miss G. They are powerless officially (the headmistress refuses to acknowledge the school's culpability, despite releasing Miss G from her duties), but they quit the swim team and deliver Miss G from her last role. The final scene has Di leaving the school to explore the world, as Fiamma had always spoken of doing, whilst Miss G, fired from the school, goes to the local village and finds a small room she can live in, presumably closing herself away for the rest of her life.