I tend to get my Gemmas mixed up, frequently confusing Arterton(Quantum of Solace
) with Ward. In this case we're dealing with the latter, the ex-supermodel who quit the runway in 2008 in order to pursue a full-time acting career. So far it's been a smart move, scoring her first major role in 2008's The Black Balloon
opposite Toni Collette. She received a fair amount of praise from the Australian critics circle for it, and that led to her US breakthrough as part of the excellent horror thriller, The Stangers
. Unfortunately her unique face was hidden behind a doll mask in that film, but we saw considerably more in her next big role in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
as a mermaid. Now the Aussie actress is set for another major career move as EW reports she's joined the cast of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.Her role is unclear at this point, and considering all of the principle characters are accounted for it's likely Gemma's part is a tiny one. The adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic is currently shooting in Sydney, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Jack Thompson.
I'm thinking we'll see Ward dancing the Charleston as part of one of the many lavish parties the story calls for. Could be worth the price of admission alone. Still no word on when The Great Gatsby will hit theaters, but expect it to run roughshod over next year's award season.
