Maryam d'Abo, the actress who played Kara Milovy in 007's The Living Daylights, has spoken candidly about her experiences playing a Bond girl in an interview about Alba Arikha's new play, Spanish Oranges.
D'Abo is starring alongside Arikha in London and had previously appeared in the same documentary film as a woman discussing her experiences working with 007 films - a subject she still deals with today. For d'Abo, life has not been without its challenges after working on these projects – she has spoken about her decision to leave Los Angeles for France when it would have helped establish a theatre career.
In contrast to Arikha's approach to writing from personal experiences, D'Abo believes in allowing writers and actors creative freedom. The Bond actress agrees that there needs to be a balance but says "you have to let them do what is right for the character." According to her it is "not about authenticity but empathy" when using imagination to portray someone else's life.
D'Abo also shares an anecdote about an experience working with actor Ed Harris on a film project. The producers had wanted him to play a gay character, and they were worried that finding a gay actor would "kill the artistic process." D'Abo believes there needs to be a balance between representation and authenticity in storytelling.
It is interesting to note how D'Abo thinks about this now compared to her time working on 007 films. She describes the industry experience during those days as harsher, while Arikha expresses an opposite view – she thinks that using imagination is necessary for writing realistic stories.
While working with 007 has not had a negative impact on d'Abo's career, it was still difficult and emotionally taxing at times. Her response to criticism from those claiming that she played a role in "screwing up her own career" suggests that she takes personal responsibility for her life choices but refuses to assign blame elsewhere.
While Arikha describes using imagination as essential when writing about real-life situations, D'Abo believes it is crucial to use empathy rather than authenticity.
D'Abo is starring alongside Arikha in London and had previously appeared in the same documentary film as a woman discussing her experiences working with 007 films - a subject she still deals with today. For d'Abo, life has not been without its challenges after working on these projects – she has spoken about her decision to leave Los Angeles for France when it would have helped establish a theatre career.
In contrast to Arikha's approach to writing from personal experiences, D'Abo believes in allowing writers and actors creative freedom. The Bond actress agrees that there needs to be a balance but says "you have to let them do what is right for the character." According to her it is "not about authenticity but empathy" when using imagination to portray someone else's life.
D'Abo also shares an anecdote about an experience working with actor Ed Harris on a film project. The producers had wanted him to play a gay character, and they were worried that finding a gay actor would "kill the artistic process." D'Abo believes there needs to be a balance between representation and authenticity in storytelling.
It is interesting to note how D'Abo thinks about this now compared to her time working on 007 films. She describes the industry experience during those days as harsher, while Arikha expresses an opposite view – she thinks that using imagination is necessary for writing realistic stories.
While working with 007 has not had a negative impact on d'Abo's career, it was still difficult and emotionally taxing at times. Her response to criticism from those claiming that she played a role in "screwing up her own career" suggests that she takes personal responsibility for her life choices but refuses to assign blame elsewhere.
While Arikha describes using imagination as essential when writing about real-life situations, D'Abo believes it is crucial to use empathy rather than authenticity.
. She's totally right that there needs to be a balance between creativity and representation in storytelling... like Arikha says, using imagination can be key when writing realistic stories 
. Its also refreshing to see her taking responsibility for her own life choices 
. I mean, we've all had those moments where we wish we'd done things differently, but its how we learn from our mistakes that matters 
. And honestly, its awesome that d'Abo has found a way to make it work in her career - she's still doing what she loves and inspiring new generations of actors 
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. Like, d'Abo thinks you gotta let the writer do their thing, but also be mindful of the impact on the character... meanwhile Arikha is all about using imagination to make stories more realistic 
. And I'm kinda with d'Abo on her perspective tho, 'cause I feel like when people get too caught up in trying to be authentic it can come across as insincere or forced 
.
At the same time, I can see where Alba Arikha's coming from - sometimes you gotta put yourself in someone else's shoes to really capture their story. As for me, I think it's all about finding that balance between creative freedom and staying true to the source material 
. And yeah, I'm sure working on 007 films wasn't always easy for her... but she's a pro, right? 
. It's like, if you're writing about someone's life experiences, shouldn't you be trying to get that right? But maybe that's just me being a total nitpick 
. What I do know is that it's awesome to see these actresses having conversations about their careers and what they've learned from them 
.
she's all about giving creatives the freedom to do their thing without worrying too much about representation or accuracy - I mean, who needs realism when you can bring a character to life in your own way, right? 
it's interesting that d'Abo is now taking a more empathetic approach than her 007 days, and I think she makes a valid point about balance being key 