Following “The Town,” Ben Affleck gave himself the Terrence Malick experience with “To The Wonder,” and teamed up with David Fincher for the razor sharp thriller “Gone Girl.” But sandwiched between those films was the forgettable “Runner Runner.” While the actor might’ve relished chewing the scenery (and boy, did he ever), the low grade B-movie failed to be elevated by its stars which included Justin Timberlake and Gemma Arterton. And for the actress, her involvement in the picture had her seriously questioning her career.
Chatting with EW, Arterton reveals that “Runner Runner” essentially gave her a bracing moment of clarity.
READ MORE: Gemma Arterton Creates Movie Magic In New Trailer For Lone Scherfig’s ‘Their Finest’
“It made me stop wanting to be an actor,” she said. “The whole thing wasn’t right for me. It wasn’t the type of thing I enjoyed watching or doing. I had a moment where I thought, ‘Okay, I got into this because of Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier and now I’m making action movies.’ Not that I wouldn’t ever do [action movies] again but I realized then that it wasn’t for me and I decided to do more theater and collaborate with people.”
Indeed, Arterton has done her fair share of studio genre pictures, often with dismal results — “Quantum Of Solace,” “Clash Of The Titans,” “Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time,” “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” — so maybe it’s not a big shock she wants more fulfilling work. And you know, what? Arterton in a Lars von Trier film could be pretty intriguing…
Arterton’s latest is Lone Scherfig‘s WWII drama “Their Finest,” which is now playing.