Naomie Harris couldn’t be happier with her latest role opposite Daniel Craig in “Skyfall.”
“I never ever thought that I would be in a James Bond film, ever, which is weird because I grew up loving these amazing movies,” Harris said. “But I never thought of it as a possibility, because there aren’t very many Black Bond women.”
Born in London, the accomplished young actress has already made a name for herself in film, TV and theater. She just completed production on “A Long Walk to Freedom,” a biopic in which she portrayed Winnie Mandela.
Her breakthrough performance was in the 2002 film “28 Days Later.” Naomie went on to receive acclaim for her role as Tia Dalma in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
Naomie graduated with honors from Cambridge University and trained at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Here, she talks about her latest outing.
KW: What’s it like to be a part of such a storied, classic franchise?
NH: It was intimidating in the beginning, for sure. I was really nervous, because I was certain it was going to be bigger than anything I’d ever done before. But I was relieved when I actually discovered that there was a family atmosphere on the set, with a brother-sister team, Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson] running it all.
They’re incredibly down-to-earth and really warm, so it was like making a little independent movie most of the time.
KW: How physically demanding did it turn out to be?
NH: I did more physical preparation for this, than I’d ever done for any role. I trained for a couple months. I was out on the shooting range twice a week. I worked out with a personal trainer for two hours a day, five days a week.
KW: What was it like working with Daniel Craig?
NH: I really enjoyed working with Daniel, because he’s a brilliant actor at the top of his game. That gave me an opportunity to learn from the best, which is what you’re always looking for as a performer in order to grow and get better at your craft.
It was also great because he was so nice and incredibly supportive…He sort of held my hand and said, “We’re in this together and we’ll get through it together.”
KAM WILLIAMS
Special to the Defender
