Today we are excited to welcome the upcoming talent Gemita Samarra to talk about her current work. At just twenty two years old Gemita has already made great leaps into the modelling, stunt and acting worlds and nothing seems to be stopping her any time soon! Read on to hear her talk about her work on the new submarine film Pressure starring Matthew Goode and Joe Cole as well as her stunt work on Spectre…
First of all can you tell us a little about Pressure and your role within it?
Sure! Pressure is about a group of 4 divers that are sent to work in the Indian Ocean on the sea bed and get trapped in a vessel. With only a limited amount of air, they must all work together to try and survive. I play ‘Lisa’- Jones’ wife. I am young and pregnant through out the film. I appear as a vision to Jones (Joe Cole) as he is running out of oxygen. I play on Jones’ mind throughout the film as he is scared he will never make it to the surface and never meet his first born child.
I would have thought your underwater scene when you appear naked to Joe Cole’s character was a tricky one to shoot; it’s a very tender and caring scene which you have to share with another actor whilst performing underwater… how did you prepare for that moment both with Joe and in your own mind?
It’s a difficult thing to shoot and pull off without it looking overly sexualised but I am very comfortable in the water and the cast and crew did everything possible to make me as comfortable with the nudity. So it didn’t really play on my mind as I was concentrating more on giving a good performance whilst trying to make Joe’s underwater experience as easy and smooth as possible. I met Joe whilst I was already in the water so we both kind of just went with each others movement, it’s hard to prepare for a scene like that without it looking forced or rehearsed.
This may sounds like a silly question but how does acting underwater compare with performing on solid ground, presumably there is a shift towards communicating physically…?
It’s a good question, but I actually feel acting underwater is not only more difficult because of the lack of breathing and stability but also trying to make your body and face as relaxed and natural as possible whilst still trying to perform. If underwater performing is done correctly it can be a lot more powerful as it is solely relying on facial and body expressions, not dialogue and distracting scenery. The only thing I think about is trying to make that connection to the audience with my eyes. As long as your face is relaxed and your eyes are drawing people in you will communicate strongly with the audience.
Your passion for being underwater is well known and has helped you get gigs such as this, your modelling and The Siren, all three of which are such different projects. Was it always your intention to try and diversify your work so much? Were you always hoping to work in all of these different mediums?
Yes I’ve always wanted to cover as many bases as possible. A lot of my early work was underwater, then slowly but surely people started to let me surface and I was introduced to performing on dry land! I have always had passion for performing as it started with Synchronised Swimming. I have always wanted to have a variety of work as it is very easy to be sucked up in to each industry, and this way I feel like I learn something new every day and it excites me!
And how did you end up getting involved in the new Bond film?
It was a mixture of luck and knowing the right people from working in stunts for a few years, so jobs have led from one to the other really but I met with the assistant stunt co-ordinator and he thought I looked very similar to the actress (Lea Seydoux), so I was then put forward to meet with Sam Mendes and it took off from there! I started work the following week. It was by far one of the most intense jobs I’ve worked on especially for such a long amount of time.
Your stunt work has led to you acting in Pressure and that appearance on Game of Thrones, do you have specific aims for your acting over the next couple of years, or are you going to be focusing on your stunts and modelling?
It really has taken off a lot quicker than I thought it would, especially after Game of Thrones and Spectre. I am now living in LA as well as London and I’m going to push the acting, modelling and stunts and see where it goes from there. I have a couple of really exciting projects that I’m actually writing and producing my self so we’ll see what happens with those. I’m excited and very happy so I can’t complain!
And that’s all folks! Pressure is released today in UK cinemas, will you be seeing it? Let us know in the comment box below!
Mr Rumsey's Film Related Musings 
It’s showing at the Empire in Leicester Square so may well take a visit down there. Hard to believe how much she has accomplished at the age of 22!
It’s really impressive isn’t it! Can’t wait to see what Gemita does over the next ten years…