Given the slew of actresses that have made it in Hollywood, very few can claim they have the role of a "Bond girl" on their resume. When Casino Royale revived the 007 franchise in 2006, with Daniel Craig stepping into the shoes of James Bond, it breathed new life into sexy, independently headstrong female characters the world's most famous double-agent would encounter in his new spy-thrilling adventures.

Following on the heels of Eva Green and Caterina Murino from Casino Royale, Ukrainian born actress Olga Kurylenko jumps into the Bond fray as the Russian-Bolivian beauty Camille Montes, who teams up with 007 Daniel Craig as they seek revenge in Quantum of Solace. While doing press in L.A. for Quantum of Solace, Olga Kurylenko talked to us journalist types about landing her role, how she feels about her character, what it's like to be a "Bond girl", how she balances a career in both Europe and Hollywood, and how she learned mad "quantum" skills to strip a gun apart, put it back together, and load it up for the latest Bond adventure.

How does it feel to wake up in the morning and be in the number one movie?

OLGA KURYLENKO: There's been a lot of mornings like that [laughs]. It feels good, very good. I'm very happy.

Natasha in Max Payne is eye candy. You don't really get to develop a character.

KURYLENKO: Did you laugh? Tell me you laughed. Good. That's...

There's a certain camp factor to her.

KURYLENKO: Right? I thought this movie was my debut in a comedy. No, seriously. I told John on the set, I said, "This part is the most comic part I've ever played." And I dubbed it in French and in Russian, and I was laughing so hard. And I hope people laughed because it think the character is so funny. I don't want them to see her like -- she's totally not serious. She's so crazy. I'm like, "This character, she's completely nuts." It's just funny.

Was Camille attractive, because you did get to develop a character.

KURYLENKO: Yeah, that's what's very nice about it. I'm very happy about that.

What does it take to be a great Bond girl? Did you go and look at past Bond girls?

KURYLENKO: Well, I've seen quite a lot of Bond movies, so I've seen some Bond girls. They were all very different. I really liked the last one, because with the last movie, the whole concept of Bond changed, I think, in a good way. It's one of my favorite Bonds. So in my case, what you need to do to be a Bond girl is that you need to physically work very hard, but I think my character is like the only Bond girl that's so feisty. There was another one played by Michelle Yeoh, but I think most of them weren't involved in so much action.

What is it like to be a Bond girl with no love scene?

KURYLENKO: It's fine. I'm very happy about it. I think finally that's what makes it so interesting. I feel like people are happy about that because they've seen, you know, each time he sleeps with the girls. And then finally he doesn't. It's good for a change. And she's very different, this girl. And he is also different in this movie because he just lost the woman he loved, and he's not really thinking about getting into another relationship because he's in pain. So that would be illogical if he started - he loved Vesper so much.

Were you into doing the action sequences, what about the air tunnel you used for the free fall from the plane?

KURYLENKO: I got so into it. First I looked, I was like, "What is this?" I didn't even know it existed. I looked through the window. I saw people in the tunnel. I thought, "How am I going to do this? I have no idea." And then that's why they have all these professional guys who explain how to do it. And then I started learning. We spent like a month, going there two or three times per week and I got addicted to this thing. It wasn't possible to get me out of the tunnel [laughs]. I would, like, stay there. I wanted to go in all the time. The thing is, because there are so many things to do, we didn't need to learn them. But I went much further. I wanted to do flips and stuff, and they taught me how to do it. And it's just so much fun. I just want to go back.

Audiences expect to see the actor's face nowadays when you're doing stunts.

KURYLENKO: I did most of them by myself. That's why you can see it's me. That's why they trained me for so long and so hard. For six months, I was training with them all the time.

Were there times you thought they were crazy?

KURYLENKO: No, I was a little apprehensive when I had to do that thing on the roof, you know, jump from the roof to the balcony, because it was high and I don't like to be at such a high point. But then they said, "Look, it's fine. We have all this time." Well, we had 45 minutes. "We're going to walk you through this. We're going to show you how. Don't worry. You're attached." And they just explained to me and I did it. He said, "Look, let's do it together." And I did it. I ended up doing it. But that's why it's great. It's great what you can do. What you end up being able to do is just amazing because you learn so much.

What was your first Bond experience?

KURYLENKO: No, I don't remember which one was the first. I don't remember the first one. I know I've been watching them, but it's just...

Do you have a favorite one?

KURYLENKO: I told you I liked the last one.

Did you see it when you were in Moscow?

KURYLENKO: Probably, but I really don't remember which one is the first. It might have been when I was a teenager.

Was the view of him different in Moscow?

KURYLENKO: Yeah, I don't remember that at all.

What about your tan in the movie? Was that spray on?

KURYLENKO: No, you think I can't be dark?

Did you go lay out in the sun?

KURYLENKO: Yes, I spent in the sun two days. I become black. Yeah, I love it. I think it's really nice. It was my idea, by the way, because I thought, "How come nobody is...?' She's Bolivian, and I thought, "Okay, we spoke about the accent." So I was training for the accent. I was learning all these fight skills, and suddenly, I thought, "Wow, nobody is talking about the skin color." I think some Bolivians - it's true, they're a mixture of people. Some people are white, but some people have pretty dark skin. I thought, "As a South American, there are a lot of people with dark skin." And I thought I'd be much more - I'd be looking like the character if I'd be darker. So I just went to - nobody told me to do it. I said, "Look, I think she should be darker." They said, "Okay, just don't burn yourself." I said, "Okay." So I went and I did it.

Everywhere they went, they were coming out in new clothes.

KURYLENKO: Well, I have only three outfits in the movie. What new clothes?

They're not carrying a suitcase. Where do you get the other outfits?

KURYLENKO: Well, no. When we're walking through the desert, remember, it starts all in that party. So Camille went home, dressed up, and then she never went back home, and then you saw the dress, and then they fall out of the airplane and all that, and that's why the dress is all torn apart and all dirty... and then I don't know. Maybe she went into someone's room and stole their clothes.

What about working with Mathieu Amalric?

KURYLENKO: It was great.

He seems like a really funny guy to be around. Was he funny on set?

KURYLENKO: Yeah, yeah, he's very special, very charming, you know, this little French guy. Very different from others, he's very - I have a lot of respect for him. He's a very good actor and his approach to the part is so special and so different.

You have another movie you're getting a writing credit on.

KURYLENKO: Yeah, it was all improvisation. Yeah, it was all my ad-lib.

Was that appealing, too?

KURYLENKO: Why not? It's very - Look, it's something more difficult, therefore more interesting and more challenging. So yeah, why not? It's great. I like anything that's difficult.

What is "Tyranny" about?

KURYLENKO: Oh, it's really complicated. It's better if you see it because it's still not - No, seriously. It's like really complicated to explain it because there are a lot of improvisation. I haven't seen the ending result, and I have no idea what it's going to be like.

What kind of pictures did you do prior to this?

KURYLENKO: I did mostly - most of them were French. All of them were French before Hitman, just because that's where I live, and that's where I started acting.

Are they character movies? What genre are they?

KURYLENKO: The movie I'm the most proud of - I mean, apart from the one I just did - for all these years, even though I've done all the others, it was my first movie The Ring Finger. It's really the movie I - it's such a pity it didn't come out here, but it's a very special movie. It's an art movie. It's not a big, blockbuster. No explosions, nothing. It's an independent movie. And that movie is my favorite. And I played the main part. And it's a beautiful piece.

What type of film is it?

KURYLENKO: It's based on a Japanese book. It's like a fantasy. There are things that happen that don't really happen in life. There are a lot of metaphors and allegories. Not a lot of people understand it, it's that kind of movie. You really have to be in a certain state of mood or mind to see it. Otherwise, if you just want to be entertained, it's not the right movie to watch.

We don't just cover movies with explosions. We understand other types of film.

KURYLENKO: Oh, so maybe you should watch it. It's a pity that it just came out in France. It exists with subtitles, but that's all - it's very hard to find it because it was a really small movie, but that movie just opened a lot of doors for me. And still today, that's the movie that opens - that gives me a project. Any director that sees it offers me the part. And that's the movie that makes it for me. It's amazing, and it's my first movie. I did it in 2004, and it's just very different from others.

And the English title is The Ring Finger?

KURYLENKO: The Ring Finger. In French, it's L' Annulaire.

You also did an Israeli film.

KURYLENKO: Yeah, Kirot. I just finished it now.

Is it an action film?

KURYLENKO: There are action scenes that are present, but most of all it's a drama. It's about - it's complicated and also a long story. It's about these two women that meet, and they become friends, but they're from totally different backgrounds. And they're both leaving something really hard. And they're both wounded and they want to escape the lives they're living, but they're totally different.

One is Israeli, another one is Ukrainian. I'm playing the Ukrainian. And basically we become friends and try to escape our lives. That's very briefly, but there's much more to it. And of course, there are some action scenes that are present because we have to run a lot. We just shot it. I have no idea what the ending result is going to be like, but I loved what we did. I really like the story. I hope it's going to be good.

Are you getting a lot of offers now from Hollywood? Will you stay in Europe or will you come here?

KURYLENKO: Both. I would like to do both, yeah. Hopefully, that's possible. Why limit yourself? Yeah, that would be nice.

What kind of offers are you getting?

KURYLENKO: What kind of offers? All kinds of offers. I have a lot of French offers and also American ones that are coming from here. But yeah, the thing is that I can't be in many places at the same time. So it's about the choice. And right now it's really hard because I'm looking at the projects for 2009. And suddenly it's like all these different projects. But there are only that many that you can do.

And it's about saying no to a lot of people. And you have to, really - it's about making the right choice. And sometimes you like all of them, or you like three stories and they're all going for the same three months. And it's really hard. It's about really taking a lot of things, what character I want to play, what I want to go for. It's tough.

I would imagine doing press for this film has been a lot bigger than for your previous films. What has that been like for you?

KURYLENKO: Well, I think this is the best training I'm ever going to get. I think it's never going to get bigger. So I'm thinking, "Okay, if you go through this - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." So I think, if I still survive, it means I'll be stronger and better than all the others. It's so intense. I've never done something like that. It's just so much.

Is there some skill that you came away with from this movie?

KURYLENKO: Well, a lot of skills. First of all, with every movie, you get a new experience. And every day we learn. So with every movie, you come out richer, even just from working with other actors and different directors. But then, of course, I had all these physical skills that I had to - like fighting, like skydiving, for example. I never knew how to do it. Now I do. I didn't know how to use guns. Now I do. I can strip a gun apart, put it back together, all those things. I know the insides. I know how to load a gun. I know how to aim.

So basically, for other movies, if I would need to do that, I already know how. By the way, when I came to Kirot, there was a fight scene. And the stunt guy looked at me and said, "Oh, you know how to do it." I said, "Sure, I just finished Bond. Why are you so surprised?" He said, "I have nothing to teach you," because I actually knew - I could do everything. He said, "Wow, you're better than the guys." I said, "Did you see how they trained me? It would be surprising if I couldn't do it."

Were you comfortable with the gun?

KURYLENKO: Comfortable? In the beginning, no, because it's scary. You're like, "Oh." And especially our teachers were - they were just so good. They're very professional. You have no idea how many times I read those five pages that he - about security and safety and how to not aim into anybody, how to always check if it's loaded, even - he said, "Never trust me. Even if I tell you it's empty, you check." And he's right. He was so precise. I said, "Okay. Again? That paper, I already read it!" He said, "Read it again." So they really made sure that nothing can happen because it's a dangerous thing. So I always - and he was so proud of me because each time he would give me a gun on the set, I would check and see if it's loaded or not. And he was like [laughs]. So they trained me.

Do you look forward to shooting on location? Is that a perk for you?

KURYLENKO: It's beautiful to see the beautiful locations. It's just a matter of time. If I have time, I love to do it. And actually, it's much better. It's much easier in acting then it was when I was modeling, because in modeling, you go somewhere for 24 hours, 48 hours, okay, three days. When you film a movie, you stay somewhere for a month, a month and a half. You get weekends. You start living, and you really get the taste. In modeling, you don't get a taste in a country when you stay for two days. There, we stayed, we met people, we had time to walk around during the weekends.

Chile, for example, was just amazing. I recommend to everybody to go to that country. And I, myself, want to come back because we were only in the north. I heard the south is, like, totally different. And already what I saw in the north was just amazing. They were the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen in my life. And Panama, of course, was cool. It's the ocean, palm trees. But I've seen that before. Chile was surprising because it was the desert. Nothing was growing. It's, like, very different, very kind of like sad landscape. It makes you sentimental.