My London: Gemma Arterton

5 April 2012

Beautiful: Gemma thinks Hampstead Heath is the most romantic spot in London

What are your most memorable London meals?
I was at drama school next to the best sit-down fish and chip restaurant in London, Gig's, just off Charlotte Street. The fish is fresh and tastes gorgeous. It's a bit more pricey than a normal chippy but it's worth it. I have only happy memories of that place.

What is your earliest London memory?
Visiting my aunt in Stockwell. I remember going on picnics to Greenwich Park and the random music festivals there in the summer. I knew even at that very young age that I wanted to live in London.

What are your home comforts?
Breakfast in a random cafe on a Sunday.

What are your extravagances?
Shoes and food. I feel guilty about the shoe bit but not for indulging in good food.

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
I would make the buses cheaper: 50p for a ticket feels reasonable to me.

What is your life philosophy?
A line from a Kate Bush song: 'I just know that something good is going to happen; I don't know when, but just saying it could even make it happen.'

What is your favourite London view?
The view from Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath. Or sitting outside the Globe theatre on the South Bank and looking at St Paul's cathedral at night.

What are your current projects?
I'm working at Pinewood Studios on Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with Jake Gyllenhaal, Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Which is your favourite London shopping street?
Conduit Street, because it has Vivienne Westwood and Ashley's Boutique.

What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?
A black tassel dress I bought for £5 when I was a student. I bought it in Bang Bang on Goodge Street. I always have fun in it because it makes me want to shimmy.

Where is the most romantic spot in London?
Hampstead Heath (you can tell I love that place). Just lying on the grass looking up at the sky. There's something so quintessentially London about it.

What are your favourite late-night hangouts?
The Bethnal Green Working Men's Club has burlesque and circus nights every month that have a homemade feel I love. And the Pigalle Club in Piccadilly is a great, glam night out.

Which London shops do you rely on?
I love Vivienne Westwood. Selfridges, because it has everything. Foyles on Charing Cross Road is the best bookshop for plays. Budgens in Crouch End for great organic fruit and veg.

Which books are you reading?
I have just finished For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and I'm about to start The Traveller by John Twelve Hawks. A friend said it was one of the best books he's read and that I should play the lead if it's made into a film, which was lovely.

Which perfume do you wear?
At the moment I'm wearing the Bond Girl 007 perfume by Avon or For Her by Narciso Rodriguez. They're gorgeous.

What was the last album you bought?
Only By the Night by The Kings of Leon. I adore it and listened to it over and over for a whole weekend.

Where did you spend your last three holidays?
I went to The Grove (above) in Hertfordshire for a spa weekend. It's set in the most beautiful grounds. Before that I had a short break in Paris, where I stayed at Le Meurice. It is traditional and typically Parisian, very chic. I also went to stay at my best friend's house in Lancashire. I'm always looked after.

What advice would you give to a tourist?
Get lost. Get on a random bus and see where it takes you, or just walk about and explore. I've found my favourite places in London by getting lost. And the London Eye on a clear day is fantastic.

What was the last play you saw?
Now or Later at the Royal Court a couple of weeks ago. Eddie Redmayne a good friend of mine, plays the lead and it absolutely blew me away. It was electrifying. One of the best pieces of theatre I've ever seen.

What do you miss most when you're away from London?
The scenery. The typical things you take for granted, such as red buses and policemen, and things I'd usually find annoying but that are so typically London. And the people. Nowhere else has such a colourful mix.

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