Gemma Arterton Talks BBC’s New Version Of Black Narcissus

A Sense Of Isolation

The BBC has just remade classic film Black Narcissus for TV and here’s its star Gemma Arterton, who plays Sister Clodagh in it, talking about it…

How did you get involved in Black Narcissus?

I was sent an early draft of Amanda’s script and Charlotte (director) then wanted to meet me. We went for a coffee and we were just so passionate about it, both of us. It was one of those projects that every now and then you go, I really want to do this!

Were you familiar with the original story or the 1947 adaptation?

I hadn’t read the book and I hadn’t seen the film before reading Amanda’s adaptation, which was really helpful for me to form my own opinions on the character and the journey. There are deviations from the book in Amanda’s adaptation – there is a lot more with the Srimati past and the ghost story thriller element of it.

Clodagh’s story is very similar with what she goes through. I was overwhelmed when I read Amanda’s script because there’s so much in it. It’s such a gift for any creative as I had so much to work with and the characters were so clear. I then read the book, which is an incredible piece of work. I hope it gets a resurgence after this as it’s such a wonderful piece of writing. I did then watch the film and I’m really pleased that I did, because it’s such a masterpiece.

As we have three episodes, so three hours, we can get deeper into the story of the characters than just the plot, and Amanda’s script has allowed us to do that. We get under the skin of these characters and explore their relationships in a much deeper way than has been seen before.

What drives your character Sister Clodagh?

She’s incredibly competitive and in a constant state of feeling her past and battling with who she really is. There’s this need to please, not just to prove something to herself but to others as well, like her superiors and also to God. As we learn as we go through, the true Clodagh is rebellious, carefree, sensual and sexual, and has gone into the order to try to suppress everything. When she arrives in Mopu, everything around her, the landscape, the people, Mr Dean, all starts to unlock those things within her and the real Clodagh starts coming through. She’s in a constant battle with herself, she’s constantly conflicted.

What do you think is going through her mind when she is suddenly coerced into this position of responsibility to oversee this group of nuns?

She takes to it with energy and zeal. There was a really good description of her in Amanda’s script that said she’s the head girl at school that always has to be the best. When she gets the opportunity from Mother Dorothea to be the Sister Superior, this is her moment to shine. She’s got great warmth and humanity to her, yet there are problems that she’s faced with that chip away at her and that makes things more difficult.

How was it to portray someone who was so bottled up?

The physicality was quite a big thing. However when you are wearing the wimple everything is constricted. Your ears are covered, you can hardly see any of your face, your eyebrows are covered and then you have the vale over the top. So it blinkers you. That helped in a weird way to make everything constricted.

As soon as I started playing her, I felt myself getting very tight. I think the real Clodagh is someone who is very wild, free and physical, and she shuts all those impulses down when she goes into the Order. Her whole body becomes as stiff as a board. I found myself getting shoulder and neckache playing her as I was so stiff! You want to give her a massage and tell her to loosen up! The habit really helps as you can hide in it, hide your hands, your body. You can’t be expressive when wearing a habit which was really helpful. Emotionally, she has it all going on inside her but she doesn’t allow anyone to see it.

What impact does it have on her life when the disruptive influence of Mr Dean arrives?

Mr Dean’s impact is huge. He represents everything that she is but she’s denying. As soon as she sees him, she’s reminded of Ireland, her past love, of this wildness that she really truly is. They are sort of soulmates really. He goes against everything that she’s been trying to build in her life. He’s very loose tongued and blasphemous. She knows that she needs to try to avoid him as much as possible, and yet they need him to help them set up the palace. You see that she’s falling in love with him and he’s falling in love with her, which ultimately is the great tragedy of this story.

What impact does the arrival of Dilip Rai have on Clodagh?

Dilip Rai is ‘the cuckoo in the nest’. Obviously it’s a convent and they don’t allow male students, but he’s this young, beautiful Prince – the nuns can’t help but fall for his humour and charm. He comes in at a moment where Clodagh is softening and she feels very conflicted about letting him in. It’s like when you are at school. I went to an all-girls secondary school and if a boy came in, even if he wasn’t the most gorgeous boy, all the girls would fall in love with him, go crazy, stop working and be distracted! She’s very conflicted but bad things happen when he does come…

What has it meant for you to be a part of this project?

I’m so proud of the work we did on this – we put our hearts and souls into it. We all went to Nepal and it took us three flights and a week to get there. We were in the middle of nowhere in the Himalayan mountains and it was a really special bonding experience. These things don’t come along very often at all. There was something really magical about this and the shoot itself for me was one of the highlights of my career so far.