How St Trinian's Gemma makes easy work of a Shakespearean comedy

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Gemma Arterton has gone from giving Russell Brand a tongue-lashing in St Trinian's to exploring the verbal dexterity of Shakespeare's text.

The actress, who has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, went straight from filming the comedy romp St Trinian's with Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and bad-boy Brand to rehearsing Love's Labour's Lost (she plays Rosaline) for director Dominic Dromgoole at Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London.

In St Trinian's, Gemma plays head girl Kelly, who gives lessons in criminal activity.

"Kelly's rough and tough, and really Russell's my moll, not the other way round," Gemma joked when we talked about her role in the film, which opens in December.

"In the script, Kelly's 17 going on 30. She's sexy but reserved and never has to shout. She gives Russell a look and he goes all wobbly, but she keeps him on a short leash."

She enjoyed studying at RADA and felt she was open to the processes lecturers put her through. "I was quite chilled, so if I got negative feedback I could deal with it, even if it hurt.

"It's good to go from somewhere that's so intense, and where people are studying you, to a big romp like St Trinian's," she added.

There's a cultural gene in her family but only she and her sister, a singer, have exploited it.

"My dad's a welder and my mum's a cleaner," she told me.

I saw Gemma on set and then danced with her at the St Trinian's beach party in Cannes (the best bop of the festival, after the Vanity Fair and Soho House parties).

Love's Labour's Lost will be her first professional play.

Rehearsals continue until the first preview at the Globe on July 1.

Michelle Terry, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (who did such great work at the Tricycle Theatre in North London last year), William Mannering and Trystan Gravelle are among the company.

Gemma also appears in Stephen Poliakoff's television film Capturing Mary.