Olga Kurylenko leaves the runway for Quantum of Solace

Crave Online: Was being in a Bond movie all you dreamed of?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, I think I actually, it was more than I could have dreamed of. I didn't even dream about that because it was so much more than I could imagine. It was really a great, great experience working with these wonderful people and being in a family, because when I got there, you really feel, the producers, Barbara especially, she's like a mother. You really feel protected, loved, it's really amazing. It could have been a big machine but it's just so personal. You feel so comfortable.

Crave Online: We're starting to see a lot of you in the last year, but are you super famous in Russia already?

Olga Kurylenko: Before? I think Russia, to the contrary of the whole world, because I was pretty well known in Paris, in France and for example in America just because I was working in modeling. But not in Russia. They didn't even know that I ever existed in the nature until I think I did James Bond. They had no idea. What are they talking about? But you know what? Can you read Russian? They wrote so much lies. Everything they wrote is a lie. Things I never said.

 

Crave Online: What was the biggest lie?

Olga Kurylenko: I can't say what was the biggest because everything, if you open everything is not true.

Crave Online: Luckily American press all tell the truth.

Olga Kurylenko: Right? I'm not naïve anymore. There's only that much I can do. Whatever I say, you want to change it all, guys, go ahead. I can't help it.

Crave Online: What was the audition process to get this part?

Olga Kurylenko: So the casting process was: I went through three tours, three auditions so after each one, I got a callback. The last one was with Daniel and in the studio in London with makeup, with the set, everything, like a little piece of movie. That was very nerve wracking because I had just met Daniel and I had to do the scene with him so it was very exciting, but I tried to stay calm and look like I'm not worried at all. Marc [Forster] told me, "You're so calm." I said, "Are you kidding me?" I was so calm outside but inside I was like oh. But we did it and I'm here today.

Crave Online: What made you audition to be a Bond girl in the first place?

Olga Kurylenko: Because, look, this movie, does it get any bigger? The thing is it's so actually in people's minds and hearts. I didn't realize people loved Bond so much. Everybody's waiting. People love it. I realized people have collections of Bond movies and they've been watching them over again. This movie has existed through the decades and it's still alive today and people are still as interested as they were before. It didn't finish, it didn't stop, people didn't say, "Oh, you know, that's it, we don't want to watch anymore." They're still excited today. This is number 22. So I thought it's just great to be a part of it.

 

Olga Kurylenko: I did feel when we acted together, I felt that it went well. To me, but sometimes you feel that it goes well and they still don't take you. It's about whether they think you fit the part or not but I felt concerning of what was happening during the scene between me and him, I thought it was great. I really liked acting with him.

 

Crave Online: What scene was it?

Olga Kurylenko: It was the scene in the sinkhole.

Crave Online: How different is Camille from the other Bond girls?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, this one is very strong and very feisty, right? I don't think the others have been so feisty. She's independent. What's good about her is that she has her own story in the film. I think if Bond wasn't there, she would still have her story. She doesn’t really somehow, she doesn't need Bond to exist.

Crave Online: Were you disappointed you didn't get a love scene with Bond?

Olga Kurylenko: No, I was very happy. Come on, Daniel is great but I'm very happy that my character doesn't get to do it because finally she is like the one. She's the first one who finally doesn't do it and it's very good to differ because we've seen so many other films where it's all the same thing. That's what's different about it.

Crave Online: Isn't it cool to be the one to resist Bond's charms?

Olga Kurylenko: That's what I said. I said I'm very proud of it. I'm very proud of my character, that she kind of didn't do that. Well, first of all, also, their stories are not really leading them to that because they both concentrated on revenge and she's just all about getting to her goal so she's not thinking about that. He has just lost the woman he loved so he's not really ready to start on that story. His heart is still taken.

Crave Online: How many Bond DVDs did you watch when you got this part?

Olga Kurylenko: A few. I didn't count, but a few. Those that seemed more interesting.

 

Crave Online: What were your favorites?

Olga Kurylenko: Dr. No was pretty, as an old Bond. Well, first it's like the first one and suddenly it's just this girl, this beautiful girl, [Ursula Andress.] I'm very happy to play the part of Camille though. I think the part is more interesting but it's just somehow this iconic film with Sean Connery.

 

Crave Online: Had you seen any Bond movies before?

Olga Kurylenko: Before? Sure. The ones that came, during my life in Paris for the past, I don't know, for the past 12 years, I've been seeing those that were coming. Each time they were coming out, I saw them on the big screen in the theaters. I mean, what is it? Tomorrow Never Dies? I don't remember the names of those things but Sophie Marceau and Michelle Yeoh, with Halle Berry.

Crave Online: Have you spoken to any past Bond girls?

Olga Kurylenko: No, I don't know any of them. I should meet Eva Green. We have the same agent.

Crave Online: Do you mind the term Bond girl since yours is so independent?

Olga Kurylenko: Doesn't bother me. Look, that's what it's called. It's been like this in the history. That's what it is except luckily, the concept is changing so it's not about the name. It's about what exactly it represents.

 

Crave Online: What does it represent to you now?

 

Crave Online: Would you do another action movie?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, I'm not going to say never in my life but after doing a few, the past few years, I'd rather do something very different now. For a while, yeah, sure, I want to do something different.

Crave Online: How was your experience being in Max Payne?

Olga Kurylenko: I didn't see the movie. It's bad?

 

Crave Online: Uhh…

Olga Kurylenko: Well, how good I spent the money before this.

Crave Online: Did you do it after Bond?

Olga Kurylenko: In the middle. Right in the middle. I was with Bond and then I flew to Toronto for four days, did this little part and went back to Bond. I was just suddenly in the middle of a movie in the middle of a movie.

 

Crave Online: How has your life changed now?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, sure, it does do something. People suddenly know who I am. The directors know who I am because sometimes it's hard to, in order to get nice, interesting projects, people have to know you exist and this movie definitely makes others know. So it's easier to get to work with people you want to work with.

Crave Online: How's your Hollywood life now?

Olga Kurylenko: I don't have a Hollywood life. I'm here for a few days and just working a lot, answering questions.

 

Crave Online: How about your glamorous Paris life versus your childhood growing up?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, you know what? My life is not that glamorous. I actually live a pretty simple life really. I just work. I don't have time to do all these glamorous things. I just do my thing, just work.

 

Crave Online: What's coming up for you?

Olga Kurylenko: Well, I just did another film in Israel which will be coming out next spring, called Kirot. It means Walls.

 

Crave Online: Who do you play?

Olga Kurylenko: Somebody very ugly. Why not? It's good for a change. No, she's a Ukranian woman. All the others are Israeli and I just play a woman that had a very hard life.

 

Crave Online: Was the attraction to do a dramatic role?

Olga Kurylenko: Yes, that's what I want to do. These are the movies I like to watch so obviously, I'd like to be a part of those kinds of movies.

 

Crave Online: Do you want to move to America?

Olga Kurylenko: Yeah, people say, "Oh, you should move to LA." Sure. I love it. I love it. It's very nice and sunny and blue skies. Yeah, I don't know. It's just I would be suddenly, I don't know anybody here and I would be far away from my family.

 

Crave Online: That won't take long.

Olga Kurylenko: Yeah, but I don't want superficial friends. I want real friends.

Crave Online: How did you get into show business in the first place?

Olga Kurylenko: Because I always wanted to act and I was waiting for it. I just went to an acting agency one day and just said, "I would like to act. Would you take me?" And they took me.

 

Crave Online: When did you leave Ukraine?

 

Crave Online: To model?

Olga Kurylenko: Yeah, because in the first place, someone came up to me in the subway. It's a long story, I went for vacation with my mom to Moscow and then this woman who just spoke to us in the subway gave us her card and then we went back and then she invited us again for tests. Then one day in Moscow, I met another guy who was looking for girls for French agencies and he just took my pictures, went with them, went back to Paris, showed them around, went back, said, "Look, you have invitations from a few agencies. Would you like to go and try?" And I said, "Okay, sure." And I never came back, because I fell in love with Paris.

 

Crave Online: What do you love about Paris?

Olga Kurylenko: Everything. I just love France, I love French people, I love the French language, I love French food. I love their mentality. I just feel like it's me. I'm very French.

Crave Online: How old are you now?

Olga Kurylenko: I'm 28. The movie's coming out on my birthday. 14^th of November. It's coming out on my birthday.

 

Crave Online: Are you done with modeling now?

Olga Kurylenko: Look, I'm so busy with acting, I don't know if I have, I don’t really have time to. I've done it for 10 years.

Crave Online: Have you signed up for anything after Kirot?

Olga Kurylenko: I haven't signed for anything but I have a lot of projects so it's all about choosing the right one.