Gemma Arterton Regrets ‘Quantum of Solace’ Role: There’s ‘So Much Wrong With Bond Women’

There's so much I find ironic about this because Agent Fields was one of the better parts of that movie. Overall, the whole thing felt like an ersatz Jason Bourne film, the exception being the opera sequence and the stuff with Fields/ Arterton. Consequently, those were my favourite parts of the movie and I have holdover goodwill towards Arterton as an actor because she sorta salvaged part of the movie.

First, that she says she gets criticism for taking the role. Going on the rest of the content of the article, I can only surmise that she means people are waggling fingers at her for daring to be the seduced girl in a Bond film and she should have been more "feminist". Well, that's tosh. Sometimes there are characters who do things like that, and they show up in Bond films. Sometimes there are jock characters who perpetuate stereotypes that athletes are dumb, mean, bullies, but should people stop playing them? No: they're an essential ingredient in underdog-nerd films. Furthermore, actors shouldn't feel shame at taking a breakthrough role like that. Arterton isn't an A-lister, but I've seen her name in plenty of projects, and first was QoS. She had to earn a living and should be proud of doing a good job in a...well, a film.

She then says, "...Strawberry should have just said no, really, and worn flat shoes,” and then says she was funny but had no backstory and didn't contribute to the plot.

Again: hogwash. Some women wear heals and get seduced. There were other female characters in QoS who were less feminine, didn't sleep with Bond, and had more to do. It's called a main role. Secondary characters get less backstory and plot.

As for not contributing, Fields actually does participate in the spy op, aiding Bond throughout the opera mission. She directly trips a guy and saves Bond's tuxedoed arse. She's witty and clever. She isn't in the film for long, but she was a good character, and shouldn't be written off just because she got seduced one time.