Motherhood & Marvels: Getting to Know Action Star Olga Kurylenko

The timing of the first lockdown last March may have provided welcome respite, but Olga unfortunately contracted Covid-19. She escaped with only a high fever rather than any respiratory difficulties (or worse), but the experience made her focus on what was important in her life. ‘I’m happiest when I’m at home,’ says Olga, who lives with her five-year-old son Alexander (from her relationship with her ex-partner, the actor and writer Max Benitz). ‘It was a wake-up call and then having that time off was amazing. I thought, “Gosh, this is real life.” It was so lovely to spend proper time with my son. He started school in September and that also made me realise things needed to change. He used to travel with me when I’d shoot a movie, but now he can’t, so I’m focusing on projects closer to home and if I do get offered something abroad the longest I’ll be away for is two weeks.’

Black Widow

Next up for Olga is a role in this month’s blockbuster Black Widow, Marvel’s action-packed spy thriller opening on 9 July, and later this year she will begin filming Bear Season opposite Luke Evans, playing the mother of a young boy seeking the truth about his father in post- World War II Detroit. Bear Season marks a step away from Olga’s normal roles, which have mostly been high-octane action flicks. ‘I got a couple of those types of roles early on and then people started approaching me with them all the time. Slowly, I became this action hero. But I love it and it keeps me fit. I’m a big fan of martial arts – anything that involves fighting, kicking, boxing and punching!’

Olga began working at the tender age of 13, when she was spotted at a subway station in Moscow by a model scout. Growing up in a tiny flat with her mother and grandmother, she had never considered a career in the spotlight and refers to it as a ‘very lucky break’. It’s a modest assessment, given her extraordinary beauty. Even on our Zoom call, dressed in a simple black vest top and wearing very little make-up, she has the kind of striking good looks that make you stop in your tracks.

She moved to Paris at the age of 16, but admits that it was a lonely time. She struggled to make friends and found she didn’t enjoy modelling. She decided to make the switch to acting, on the encouragement of a teacher at her amateur dramatics school, and soon secured an agent.

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Olga Kurylenko wears Guerlain Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil, £105; L’Essentiel Natural Glow Foundation 16-Hour Wear SPF20, £44; Terracotta The Bronzing Powder, £39; Kiss Kiss Shine Bloom in Eternal Rose, £31

Olga credits her success to her strong desire to make something of herself. ‘I felt like I had no choice, that I had to succeed,’ she says. ‘My entire focus was work. I saw too many girls back home who were dating men they didn’t like, just to have a flat of their own or clothes or food on the table. I remember thinking, “I will never depend on a man.” I’d sleep on the streets before I did that. I knew I had to make it on my own.’

Olga On Love

Olga has been twice married, including to French fashion photographer Cedric van Mol (from 2000-2004), and right now she’s actively dating again, admitting she recently started seeing someone.

‘It’s very new,’ she smiles, ‘so I’m not sure whether I can call him my partner yet.’ But she’s frank about the fact that, whoever she commits to in the future, they must share her desire to have another child. She is keen to provide her son with a sibling, but, at 41, she’s aware of her biological clock ticking. ‘I keep thinking, “How much longer do I have to be a mother?”

I’d love another child and ideally it would have happened by now, but it hasn’t worked out. I was an only child and I hated it, so I thought, “I’m not going to do this to my kid.” So basically, if I want to be a mum again, I need to find a man.’

Other than motherhood, what are Olga’s future plans? ‘Well, my son always says, “Mummy, can I watch your movies?” but unfortunately they have far too much blood and violence in them, so I’d like to do some kiddie movies next, something that Alexander can watch. I’d like to play a witch or a princess in a fairytale, or get a role in Peppa Pig!’

If she approaches it with half the determination she’s shown so far, we’re sure she’ll pull it off.

Our Shoot:

• Olga Kurylenko was shot on location at Beaverbrook Hotel & Spa
• Photographer: Dan Hack
• Photographer’s Assistant: Danny Millar
• Fashion Director: Nicole Smallwood
• Make-up: Nathalie Eleni using Guerlain
• Hair: Ben Cook at Frank Agency for Lockonego using Hair Rehab London
• Manicurist: Julia Babbage @ Frank Agency
• Video: Tracer Ital