Naomie Harris in 'Pirates' and 'Skyfall' (Photo: Walt Disney Pictures/Columbia Pictures)
She starred in a pair of movies that made $2 billion worldwide, and you probably wouldn't recognize her if you saw her on the street. Her name is Naomie Harris, and her face is about to get a lot more familiar.
Harris played Tia Dalma, the witchy woman (who was actually the physical embodiment of the sea goddess, Calypso) in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End." With her long dreadlocks, face markings, bloodshot eyes, and very bad teeth, Harris was hardly identifiable as the character.
Now she's trading in her ratty voodoo priestess look for the glamorous but lethal style of a Bond girl in the new 007 adventure, "Skyfall." She plays Eve, a fellow MI6 agent on a mission with James Bond (Daniel Craig). In this exclusive clip, Eve has her sights on a villain who is fighting Bond on top of a moving train. With time running short, M (by Judi Dench) orders Eve to fire on the target, even at the risk of hitting Bond. Watch the scene to see what happens:
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Harris began acting in her native England when she was just a child. Her mother, Lisselle Kayla, was a television writer who had emigrated to the UK from Jamaica. Harris said she spent time in Jamaica as a child, which must have helped her develop Tia Dalma's accent in "Pirates." She graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Political Science, and she was classically trained in acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
(Photo: Walt Disney Pictures/Columbia Pictures)She first gained notice in the U.S. in director Danny Boyle's acclaimed 2002 zombie film, "28 Days Later." She then appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan (another Bond) in 2004's "After the Sunset." And she also played Jamie Foxx's love interest in the financially disappointing big-screen adaptation of "Miami Vice."
The 36-year-old Harris told The Daily Mail that she didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to audition for "Skyfall." She said, "I thought, 'Me? A Bond Girl? I don't see it myself." But she was won over by the character, who is a capable spy in her own right. She spent nine months working with a personal trainer to get in shape, and another two months in weapons and driving training. Eve gets to carry a Walther PPK, the handgun traditionally preferred by 007 himself. And she also received special instruction from a professional barber for a scene where she seductively shaves Daniel Craig's face.
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You'll see more of Naomie Harris in action when "Skyfall" drops into theaters on November 9.
Watch more videos from 'Skyfall':
'Skyfall' Clip: Digger vs. Train 'Skyfall' Theatrical Trailer