BLACK Narcissus star Gemma Arterton has revealed the intense pain she suffered playing an uptight nun in the BBC drama.
Gemma, 34, plays Sister Clodagh in the three-part mini-series, which concludes tonight.
Her character leads a group of nuns through the Himalayan mountains to set up a new convent at a mysterious former palace.
However, she starts to have feelings of desire towards Mr. Dean, a man who helps the nuns at the convent, leading to inner turmoil for the nun.
Speaking about how difficult it was to play such an uptight character, Gemma said: “As soon as I started playing [Sister Clodagh], I felt myself getting very tight.
“I think the real Clodagh is someone who is very wild, free and physical, and she shuts all those impulses down when she goes into the Order.
“Her whole body becomes as stiff as a board, I found myself getting shoulder and neckache playing her as I was so stiff!”
She added: “You want to give her a massage and tell her to loosen up.”
Thankfully, the nun outfit helped Gemma develop her character, as she explained: “The habit really helps as you can hide in it, hide your hands, your body.
“You can’t be expressive when wearing a habit which was really helpful.
“Emotionally, she has it all going on inside her but she doesn’t allow anyone to see it.”
While the drama concludes tonight, many viewers have already switched off, having branded the first two episodes “dull” and “boring”.
Black Narcissus concludes tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
