Gemma Arterton will star in the forthcoming Almeida theatre production The Master Builder. Arterton joins the previously announced Stephen Dillane in Kenneth McLeish’s translation of the Henrik Ibsen classic.
Arterton will take on the role of Hilde Wangel in Ibsen’s tale of power and deception. Master Builder Halvard Solness (Dillane) has reached the pinnacle of his career, but his success has come at a cost. With his family life in ruins, he lives in fear that the next generation will rise up and brush him aside. When Hilde Wangel, a bewitching young woman, arrives to collect a decade-old debt, she breathes new life into his professional pride. But as Solness completes his architectural masterpiece, Hilde threatens to be his ultimate downfall.
Arterton’s performance in the production marks her first dalliance at the Almeida, having made her West End debut earlier this year in The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick theatre. The young British actress first came to the public’s attention in the title role of the 2007 BBC drama Tess Of The D’Urbervilles. On film she starred in the comedy romp St Trinian’s, playing feisty Head Girl Kelly Jones, and as Bond girl Strawberry Fields in Quantum Of Solace. Arterton can currently be seen in Hollywood blockbusters Clash Of The Titans and Prince Of Persia, and is due to be seen in the title role of Stephen Frears’s film Tamara Drew this autumn.
The production, which is directed by Travis Preston, opens on 18 November (with previews from 12 November) and runs until 8 January 2011.
CM