The Lovely Eva Green is Back!

Eva Green in 300: Rise of an Empire jamesbondreview.filminspector.com

Eva Green as Artemisia in "300: Rise of an Empire."

Eva Green is back!

No, Eva Green never really left, but for almost a decade she was in between blockbusters. Vesper Lynd from "Casino Royale" returns to appear in "300: Rise of an Empire," based on a Frank Miller graphic novel. Zack Snyder co-wrote the screenplay, while Noam Murro directs. Snyder directed the original "300," but his "Man of Steel" film got in the way. “There was no way I could do it,” the writer-director said of the "300" sequel. There is complete continuity between the two films, though, so if you liked the first one, this sequel should feel right at home.

Eva Green trained hard for the role, incurring many bruises in "300: Rise of an Empire."

In "300," King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his unit of 300 Spartans were cut down by the Persians under Rodrigo Santoro at Thermopylae circa 480 B.C. In "300: Rise of an Empire," the Athenians must defend their city at sea, led by Admiral Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton). Artemisia (Eva Green) leads the Persian flee against the small, outmaned Greek fleet.

"300: Rise of an Empire."

Describing her role, Eva says:

“She is like a man in a woman’s body.She’s very ballsy and very brave, and she was traumatized as a child, so she builds this armour around her to survive. And she’s obsessed with revenge and, yes, she’s bonkers.”

We all loved Eva Green in "Casino Royale," so it is great to see her back in another high-profile adventure. She also was terrific in "The Dreamers," the sex-drenched Bernardo Bertolucci film that catapaulted Eva Green to stardom.

Eva trained for weeks in Sofia, Bulgaria before filming began to learn how to wield a sword. It was very physically demanding.

“You feel very powerful actually, but not straight away. The squats and the lunges were, oh my god, very painful. But after you get through it, you feel very proud of yourself.”