In the opening scene of Sky’s new TV drama, Fleming, Lara Pulver wears a blood-red bikini while snorkelling amid shoals of exotic fish. She then emerges breathless atop a speedboat, a gun-toting Dominic Cooper close behind. This purely Bond moment perfectly encapsulates Fleming – the dramatised version of author Ian Fleming’s life that cheekily blurs the line between fact and fiction. However, perhaps more noticeably it’s another distinctly sexy role for Pulver, who shot to fame as dominatrix Irene Adler in Sherlock. But will Pulver dare to bare all once again?
According to Pulver, Fleming is ‘glamorous and sexy, but I think you get the impression that you see more than you do. It’s the power of suggestion. That’s what intrigued me, because after Sherlock, I got endless scripts where the only character trait was getting your kit off.’ And Pulver’s acting talents certainly extend to more than a celebration of a female sexual health and wellness. Ann O’Neill, Pulver’s character in Fleming, was the 007 author’s wife and the pair were mutually destructive thrill-seekers drawn together by a love of danger. Even Pulver admits that, initially, it’s tough to warm to the manipulative siren-cum-socialite, but the actress was attracted to her survival instincts. ‘Ann lost her mum when she was young, she never had any formal education – there was a nanny who mistreated her – so she’s never been familiar with love,’ she says. ‘She actually vomited the first time someone kissed her. She’s a complex picture.’
So does Fleming – played by Mamma Mia star Dominic Cooper – likewise make O’Neill sick? For Pulver, O’Neill found the ideal sparring partner in the author: ‘They were forever frustrated by people failing to meet their expectations. They needed people to challenge them – and they challenged each other.’ However, a scene set in the formative stages of their relationship shows a sexually dark side to both characters, hovering on the uneasy borderline between rough sex and rape. Just as it was to film, Pulver agrees it’s a tough scene to watch. ‘It starts with her cornering him and turns into a struggle for control, the thrill of the chase taking a sudden twist,’ she details. ‘He asks her: “Is this what you want?” And you’re not certain of the answer. ‘It was the kind of situation that powered their relationship. It’s a fine line in that scene but I think it works – we needed to show that element of danger.’
Pulver also experienced the element of danger when filming the opening scene in the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. She recalls, ‘I’m really not a strong swimmer, and I hadn’t really taken on board how long and how deep I’d be in the water. But I was determined to do it – what you see is all me, trying to not look petrified. You never know what you can do until you challenge yourself to do it.’ Pulver certainly doesn’t mind putting it all on the line for a role, which is why it’s no surprise then how refreshingly candid she is on the pressures on actors to conform to body image stereotypes in order to make it big in Hollywood.
‘You know that in LA you’re being judged the minute you walk in the room,’ she comments. ‘And you see people killing themselves to look this way and that, having surgery so they look a certain way. But the crazy thing is you could transform yourself and then be wrong for the next role that comes along. And there’s no going back.’ That said, the petite actress does keep in great shape, but Pulver points out that she does it in a healthy way. ‘I’m a real foodie,’ she admits. ‘I love to cook. But you need to know what you can and can’t eat, there really needs to be better education about that. I think I could have been an athlete. I’ve always done sport and that’s the best way of staying in shape.’