The latest Bond girl, 28-year-old Olga Kurylenko, is possibly the most butt-kicking to date. She'll be in Oz this month for the premiere of Quantum Of Solace, and when I meet this sun-kissed, sparkly-eyed bundle of energy, I tease her that she missed out: (spoiler alert) Camille, her tough-cookie character, doesn't get to smooch Daniel Craig. She instantly fires back: "I told producers that it depends on how well Bond behaves as to whether or not I'll kiss him!" There's no doubt this fiery attitude helped Kurylenko score the part. Her new action-hero life is a far cry from her impoverished upbringing in Ukraine. She got her first break at age 13 when she was approached by an agent in Moscow to start modelling, and she broke into acting in 2006, performing in art-house flick Paris, je t'aime alongside Elijah Wood. Mega-stardom is about to hit Kurylenko, so now she's enjoying the calm before the media storm...

Did you ever dream that you'd be a Bond girl?

No. It's so incredible. There have been, what, 22 movies? So there are only so many Bond girls. And I'm very happy to be part of this legendary series. Actually, in the past people made jokes to me like, "You'd be a great Bond girl." It's something I'd heard a few times, so now I think that's funny.

You're one of the new-wave "ballsy" Bond girls...

I was happy, because they're the kind of girls I want to play. Physically I may not be as tough as Camille but inside me there is a power. I'm feisty.

And working with Daniel Craig must have helped convince you to sign up.

He's amazing! He's so handsome, very charming and a great actor, but it's really impressive how hard he works. You have no idea how many stunts he did, then every night after shooting he'd be in the gym, while everybody else went out for a drink.

Your fitness regime involved "body flight", training in a wind tunnel for the skydiving scenes...

Exactly. We learnt how to operate our bodies as if we were skydiving. There are different figures you can do in the air, like gymnastics but you can't just step in there, you have to do all this preparation. The first day I went in for five minutes and the next morning I couldn't lift my arms. The wind blows your arms apart and it's a constant struggle to keep them together. It's like doing a weights machine. Your chest hurts, your shoulders, everything.

Were those the hardest scenes to film?

The scene on the boat was the hardest, because not only were we fighting but it was super hot and the boat was moving. You had to hold on so tight, otherwise you'd just fall out. It was like a rollercoaster on the water. I was so scared about doing the scene but Daniel said, "I know it's tough but when you watch it you're going to be so proud that you did it," and I thought, "He's right."

Were you totally ripped by the end of filming?

Well, I thought it would be good for me endurance-wise if I could run a little bit, so on a morning off in Panama, I got on a treadmill but I only managed about 15 minutes!
I got a lot of muscle but I've already lost it. It's funny - it goes so fast. I watched the scene on the boat the other day and on the screen my arm muscle looked so big, probably because I was holding on so tight so I didn't fall out of the boat!

Are you missing the muscles now?

A bit. At the time I thought I should wake up and do at least 15 push-ups, and every morning I'd wake up and say, "Maybe tomorrow!"

Where did you get the energy for the role from?

In Panama I ate a lot of bananas. They give you energy and they were everywhere, but we ate so many we joked we'd never touch them again! I was definitely hungrier there because I did so much physical work. I ate five times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner with little snacks in between to stop my energy levels dipping. Lots of fish, fruit and veg.

You've done a few nude scenes for past roles - so you can't have too many body hang-ups...

They always empty the studio during nude scenes so not many people are looking. The funny thing is I would never go on a nudist beach.

What's the difference?

I'm too shy, I can't do it. On the nudist beach I would be me, but when I'm in the movie it's not me.

You've been married and divorced, twice. What have you learnt about marriage?

Umm... not to do it again! I think it's absolutely unnecessary. I really truly believe that, although now I'm sure I'll somehow end up getting married again! The second time I did it was only to be nice to the guy because he wanted it so much. I was in love both times but I am a realist and marriage is not all you believe it will be. The moments, the marriages, the relationships were all great, but at the end you have to go through this divorce and all this paperwork. It's such a nightmare. Why marry? If you're not married you just leave each other and it's cool. Who needs the paper? To me it means nothing.

Are you with someone at the moment?

I have a person I'm close with but we're more like friends. I don't have time. I've been in London and I haven't been home for months.

You had a tough childhood. How has that shaped you?

Maybe I'm a fighter because of it. I know I really wouldn't like to live in difficulties like that again - I think I paid my dues.

What were the biggest difficulties you faced?
It's just not pleasant to have no food in the house and to only eat cereal...

For every meal?

Yeah, we ate a lot of cereal. It's the cheapest thing. We bought it [oats] in bags by the kilo and boiled it. I didn't have meat very often, or fish. I wore the same sweater for years. It would rip, so my Grandma would sew it.

Then you became a model and your world changed.

Yes. When I earnt my first money, I went to a shop and bought jeans and a top. But then I wore them both for such a long time that finally my model agency said, "You should buy something else!" I was saving the money because it was the first time I'd ever had any. Some people would have gone crazy but I thought, "I have to keep it because what if tomorrow I lose it all again?"

Have you splurged now?

Yes, because my friends keep telling me, "Olga you can!". A few years ago I was in Dior and there was a sale on. I chose this beautiful jacket and when I went up to the cashier it wasn't on sale. It was maybe $1500. I was so shocked, but there was this huge line behind me and I was too embarrassed to say, "I can't buy it, it's too expensive," so I just gave her my credit card and was like, "OK, go!"

What essentials do you take with you on set?

I bring spiritual books with me while travelling. I like books about thoughts and how you see the world. I'm reading Une Vie, the biography of Simone Veil, at the moment. I take a nice cashmere scarf and oriental-style green mint tea that I buy in Paris. I also love KENZO KI Creamy White Day Cream - it smells so good and has these little sparkles, so when you put it on in the morning as a base your skin glows.

Check out more info on Quantum of Solace.