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Lucy Clarkson on Lara Croft..
What was it like when you first found out you had been chosen to be Lara
Croft? What did you do?
Lucy Clarkson: I couldn’t believe it. I was absolutely gobsmacked because
it was such a big thing for me. Before that I was a bit down in the dumps
because I had been told I was too fat to work so I was so down, and then I
got a call from my agent saying that someone has seen my model card and
wanted to call about the possibility of me being Lara Croft. Before I
actually got it I spent two months going to the gym, meeting all the
different people and going through all the different selection stages.
Eventually the auditions would get narrowed down to the last ten, then the
last five and I just couldn’t believe it when they picked me to be Lara.
There were two others in the final audition and I had to dress up and go and
meet the directors, and as soon as I opened my mouth and they knew I was
from Yorkshire, they kind of took to me straight away. I was on the train on
the way home and they phoned me to tell me that I’d got the job! I started
crying because I was in so much shock but my Mum and Dad had always said
that I’d get it. It’s the perfect job for me because even though I’ve
always worked out, it makes me go to the gym to keep fit. And it’s also
good because someone’s actually appreciating shape and not telling you to
lose weight for the job and I love doing it.
Do you ever get recognised now as being Lara Croft?
Lucy Clarkson: I get recognised the most when I’m on the train because I
spend so much time travelling around on them. It’s weird because lately I
seem to get recognised quite a lot, because people will come up to me and
say “Are you famous?” I have to say “Not quite, I am in a way but I am
a personality through the work I do.” They’ll ask what I do, and when I
tell them I’m Lara Croft they’ll be like “I told you so!” to their
friends. I always carry cards around with me as I like to be able to sign
them for the fans as I am getting recognised more and more.
Has it been everything you were expecting?
Lucy Clarkson: It’s been more than I expected. It’s been an absolutely
unbelievable experience and I’ve grown up so much while I’ve been doing
it. The people I work with, the make-up artists, the stylists, my managers
– they’re unbelievable and they all get on so well and it’s just so
enjoyable. If it wasn’t for the people around me then I wouldn’t enjoy
doing the job as much.
What’s it like when you get to meet the Tomb Raider fans?
Lucy Clarkson: I love it! It is strange sometimes because you get young
children aged about eight and at the other end of the scale you get grown up
men, 50 year olds obsessed with Lara! It’s not a bad thing at all, but the
age difference can be a little weird at times. I wouldn’t be here if it
wasn’t for my fans, so I love them all!
Is that a good or bad thing for you?
Lucy Clarkson: Good thing, definitely. I like it a lot because I’m not the
sort of person to just turn around and not speak to them or tell them they
can’t have a picture. I think it’s wrong because I’ll always, always
have time for fans and I’ll always go out of my way to sign their
autographs. I love it, it’s great!
Have you had any strange requests from fans?
Lucy Clarkson: I had one guy who cycled all the way from Amsterdam to see me
and he was so sweet. The minute he got off the bike, I was waiting there
with a bottle of champagne and I had to shake it all over him. He actually
took his coat off and said “I’ve got to give you my coat because you
must be so cold when you’re opening all these tombs.” I was a bit
shocked because he really thought I’d stepped out of the game and was
there in real life. I tried to make him feel as welcome as I could and I had
a meal with him that night dressed as Lara and all the press were with us
and he was totally made up. I actually had my driving test the week after
and he wrote in to see how I’d done!
Has playing Lara opened up lots of different doors for you and enabled
you to do things you normally wouldn’t have been able to do?
Lucy Clarkson: I still do other jobs as I’m a full time professional
model. I appeared in an Airwaves advert, and because the company behind it
wanted someone fit and athletic, as soon as they found out I was Lara Croft
they decided that I was exactly what they were looking for. Even though I
had the wrong colour hair, and had to dye it all blond I still got the job!
When I tell people what I do and they see on my modelling card that I’m
Lara Croft, I stand out from the rest, and they’ll have a second look at
the card. Being Lara has definitely opened a lot more doors for me.
Do you find you travel abroad a lot being Lara?
Lucy Clarkson: Yes! When I got the job it was only supposed to be a years
contract, but they renewed it for a second year. The first ever job I had
was doing the E3 show in Los Angeles and that really opened my eyes – it
was an unbelievable experience. After that I’ve been to Portugal, Paris
and Dublin where I took part in the Late Late Show. That was quite good
because it was live and also a little nerve wracking too.
What’s been the highlight for you so far during your time as Lara
Croft?
Lucy Clarkson: I think the main thing for me would be the E3 show just
because of the size and scale of the event. It was an experience that I’ll
never forget. But I also really enjoyed the Croft Manor weekend – mainly
because I’ve never dressed in anything else apart from the original Lara
Suit or the black catsuit and because I had to welcome the guests as their
host Ms Croft, I got to wear a really slinky dress with the gun strapped to
my legs! Doing a bit of acting as well made the Croft Manor event more
enjoyable too because normally I keep quiet and smile a lot!
Do you have a funniest or most embarrassing moment?
Lucy Clarkson: Oh, at Croft Manor again. I had to do an appearance at around
11o’clock as the guests were having a BBQ and just walk by so they could
see I was around and I had the dark shades on and I fell down some stairs.
Everyone started laughing and I didn’t know what else to do so I just
bowed at everyone. I managed to miss the first step and just started
walking. I didn’t actually fall over, I just tripped but if you could see
the size of my boots I can hardly feel anything underneath them anyway!
That’s the most embarrassing moment, but I’m usually quite careful and
alert. At first when I met people I didn’t know what to say so I felt a
bit stupid then, but know I’ve settled into the role at more and I’m
used to that now.
Do you know what you’ll be up to in the future as Lara?
Lucy Clarkson: I don’t really know to be honest. Some jobs, like the Croft
Manor event I’ll know about for a month or so before it happens, but
mostly I get booked the week before. I prefer it like that though as
there’s a little more surprise and I don’t know what I’ll be doing.
Have you ever had any strange experiences getting the guns through
customs when you travel abroad?
Lucy Clarkson: Not through customs, but we did have a strange time in
Dublin. I was opening a mobile shop there and someone had seen me come out
of the hotel dressed as Lara Croft with the guns and phoned the police! They
told the police that they’d seen a woman with two guns getting into a car!
They’d seen me dressed as Lara with the guns and they actually thought I
was going to rob a bank or something! We got stopped and pulled over but
nothing came of it!
Are you a Manchester City fan yet?
Lucy Clarkson: Err, I am now. I’m not really into football but when I went
to see the Man City Vs Man Utd game, I couldn’t watch because I had to do
appearances and I was quite upset about that. But now they’re playing in
the same league as Rotherham United who are my local team so that’ll be a
good one to watch! It is good to go though, and I get a lot of wolf whistles
from the players and fans when I go to be in a team photo for example.
Lastly, do you have a message for your fans that are reading this?
Lucy Clarkson: Keep on playing the games and whenever I’m about, come and
see me!
Thx to Eidos Interactive UK and Lucy Clarkson.
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