Like what the Spartacus series did for Roman gladiators, Camelot aims to take a realistic and gritty look at the ol’ roundtable tale, with Joseph Fiennes as the sorcerer Merlin, who comes to Arthur’s side with his dad Uther is killed, and Eva Green as Morgan, Arthur’s scheming half-sister who aims to take over the kingdom. And not to mention the love triangle that arises between Arthur, Guinevere and the dude to whom she’s betrothed, Leontes (Philip Winchester).
“That is the key to the season and this program,” Egerton says. “These are real humans, and people are often caught between a rock and a hard place. Guinevere’s a prime example of that.” The show also marks a chance of pace for Egerton, a British actress mostly known for her comedic roles — such as in the recently released (at least in Europe) Chalet Girl.
You have quite the introduction in the first episode, through a nude sex-dream sequence where you emerge from the sea.
Yes, exactly. I’m introduced just as an image and then you find out who I am, which is quite nice. I think everyone knows who Guinevere is and everybody’s waiting to see who she is and who’s going to play her or what the character’s going to be like. It’s quite nice to be introduced in a dream at first, so people can be guessing for at least the first hour and a half. That was quite cool. I admit, I was quite chuffed.
That’s a heck of a scene to be introduced to American cable audiences, too.
Yeah. [Laughs] That was my first day filming as well. It was quite hardcore. I was very embarrassed and obviously meeting a crew and the director and all the producers for the first time and then suddenly having to do those kinds of scenes, it was a bit nerve-wracking.
The second episode has a similar kind of scene, but you’re clothed for that one. Did you shoot both these scenes at the same time?
We shot a lot of beach stuff in the same day actually for episodes 1 and 2. We have the introduction with Arthur, the dream sequences, and the coming out of the water. Most of the day I was soaking wet, with wet hair, wet clothes and everything. And pretty cold. Ireland in the June/July time sounds really warm, because you’re from America! In Ireland, it’s really cold still. [Laughs] Unfortunately, you haven’t had the summer to warm up the sea either. It’s freezing cold. I did some more scenes in the sea later on in September, and it’s so much warmer because the temperatures had risen and warmed up the sea gradually over the months. The difference was insane.
How does one prepare for being naked on a beach?
I don’t think anyone’s really comfortable being naked on a beach in front of lots of people when it’s freezing cold. [Laughs] A lot of girls would probably have gone to the gym and not eaten or whatever, but I actually knew I was going to be cold, so I had two pints of Guinness and some pasta the night before with the guys. Purely because I just thought, “I’m gonna eat these calories. I need this because I’m going to be freezing!” I’m not gonna lie, I really suffered during that day. I had to take half an hour out and paramedics had to come and see if I was all right. But then afterwards, one of the producers was very sweet and made sure I had a massage at a sauna and was like, “There you go!” I went straight from the set after my ordeal and had a nice pampering session, so that was lovely. Being naked comes with the territory. A lot of people are so quick to judge and I’m not a prude, but the character calls for it. This is a saucy piece, and I feel very privileged to be playing Guinevere. To a certain extent, if it’s written, I’m happy to do it. She’s coming out of the sea, and it’s a great image. I’m not going to show everything, I always say I wouldn’t, and what we’re showing is lovemaking. It’s not just any old gratuitous sex. That’s my point of view. I’m personally in a very loving relationship, and I’m not doing that in real life. I mean, I’m an actor! [Laughs] I think people get confused sometimes.
Like the other historical Starz series Spartacus, there’s both sex and violence. Do you have action sequences later in the season?
I do. Camelot’s a little bit more character-driven than Spartacus — there’s a lot of violence in that and a lot of fight sequences. I learned to ride horses for this program. In the beginning, I was quite scared of horses, and by the end, I’m doing my own galloping stunts. And I wield a dagger and I learned how to use an arrow during filming. Yeah, I do a little bit of fighting. The good thing about Guinevere is she’s quite feisty, so there’s more of her arguing and saying, “Why can’t I fight? You warriors are out there fighting, why can’t I? I don’t want to sit here and get raped by whoever comes along. I’m not going to be a sitting duck.” She’s growing into that as well. She’s going to be quite the feisty one in the future.
Is it exciting to potentially break out on a show like this in a whole new country?
Well, I hope a whole country full of people will watch this. [Laughs] In England, I’ve got a certain niche at the moment — I do a lot of comedy, which has been fantastic. The last few years, I’ve mostly done very independent, young-schoolgirl comedy roles. To come and do Camelot where I’m playing, first of all, a part I’ve wanted to play since I was a kid, but also it’s serious and it’s a lot more emotional wallowing and playing action and there’s love and turmoil and grief and betrayal — all these things you don’t get in comedies. It’s been fantastic to explore that territory. And it’s an American job and I’m so thrilled to be from this side of the pond. I wanted this part so badly when I was auditioning for it and I worked so hard to get it and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
The Arthurian stuff plays well over here. A lot of people watch Merlin on Syfy, and there’s a lot of interest in Spartacus and other Starz series.
With Merlin, it’s so funny because over here, it’s more for children. Camelot’s not really for young kids. [Laughs] This is more for the adults.
Television Series: Camelot (S01E03)
Release Date: April 2011
Actress: Tamsin Egerton
Video Clips Credit: Zither
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