The Times January 09, 2007
Actress survives 007 curse to join ranks of the chosen few
Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent
Eva Green could win a Bafta after appearing in Casino Royal (Paul Rogers/The Times)
Being cast as a Bond Girl has sometimes been dismissed as the kiss of death for an acting career, but the latest incumbent has proved that there is life after 007’s final embrace.
Eva Green, the little-known 26-year-old actress who is wowing audiences as the femme fatale in Casino Royale, was chosen yesterday by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) as one of five rising stars of cinema.
Among former stars of Bond films, Shirley Eaton is generally remembered for nothing more glittering than having been painted gold in Goldfinger, and Barbara Bach and Britt Ekland failed to lure the casting directors after their appearances in The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man with the Golden Gun respectively.
In contrast, Ms Green is following in the footsteps of Honor Blackman, the steamy seductress in Goldfinger, and Halle Berry, who played Jinx in Die Another Day, in making her mark as an acclaimed actress.
She is already filming her next big role, in the production of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass.
The award was compiled from names put forward by the thousands of Bafta members — including actors, directors and producers, as well as distributors, casting directors, agents and studios beyond the Academy. Other nominees for the Orange Rising Star Award — for which The Times is an official media partner — are Ben Whishaw, who appeared in Perfume and Layer Cake; Cillian Murphy, who starred in the award-winning Ken Loach film The Wind that Shakes the Barley; Emily Blunt, acclaimed for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada; and Naomie Harris, admired as the co-lead in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later.
Film-makers were asked to pick actors who have broken into mainstream cinema with eye-catching performances in at least one feature-length film.
A jury that included the Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella and the actress Thandie Newton then whittled down the list to five candidates.
The winner will be chosen by a public text and online vote (www.orange.co.uk/bafta) and announced at the Bafta awards ceremony on February 11.
The Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the Bafta-winning casting director who died in 2004. She gave Richard E. Grant his break in Withnail and I.
David Parfitt, the chairman of Bafta Film Committee, said: “Promoting and supporting the next generation of talent is essential and this is why it’s important to have awards in place such as the Orange Rising Star Award.”
The five rising stars
Emily Blunt, 23. Born in London, she shot to prominence through the lead role in the award-winning film, My Summer of Love
Eva Green, 26. Born in Paris, she made her debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s critically acclaimed The Dreamers
Naomie Harris, 30. Graduated from Cambridge University then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her break came as the co-lead in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later
Cillian Murphy, 30. Born in Co Cork, came to attention as the reluctant survivor Jim in 28 Days Later
Ben Whishaw, 26. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate, has just filmed I’m Not Here, a portrayal of the life of Bob Dylan
