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When Alison Carroll was officially introduced as the new face of Lara Croft back in August, her image spread across the Web and mainstream media like wildfire. Now, months after her debut, we had the chance to talk to the former receptionist about her ongoing role as the most iconic female gaming character in history. With Tomb Raider Underworld launching just last week, Carroll shows no signs of slowing down on her worldwide adventure. Read on to find out what it is like to step into Lara’s famous boots.
Last year, 23 year old Alison Carroll was a lifelong gymnast, aspiring actress and model, and golf-course receptionist. Today, she is a tomb raider, and some argue, the best Lara Croft model to date. Having been physically active and adventurous since a young age, Carroll seems to have been groomed to take on the role. Able to keep up with Croft’s iconic acrobatics, Carroll has not only represented Great Britain as a professional gymnast, but has even performed in front of the royal family. Looking the part didn’t hurt either. When she auditioned in front of a panel of judges last year, all her skills came together and won her the role. Now Carroll is not only one of the first Lara Croft models to take on a speaking role, but is the first ever to be a trained gymnast, making Lara more believable than ever. Now Carroll has expanded her talents even further, taking on training in firearms, hand-to-hand combat and archeology.
So what has Carroll’s journey been like the past few months? In one word, crazy. But we will let her tell you herself. Game Informer: So, out of curiosity, where are you at currently and what have the last few days been like with the recent launch of the game? Are things going to slow down now, or are you going to keep blazing ahead?
Alison Carroll: It’s been crazy. I was traveling yesterday so I came from L.A and flew over to New York for today, and then today we have had interviews all over New York. I have been ferried around everywhere and it is very exciting, I am meeting lots of new people.
GI: Have the past few weeks been much of the same?
Carroll: Yes, it’s been quite upbeat. I’ve got some more dates in the UK next week and then I think I am going of to Italy a couple of weeks after that, but the last two months have been absolutely crazy, I have been all over the globe. I have been all over Europe, and then I’ve been to Australia, Singapore, Dubai, all over Scandinavia, Belgium, Amsterdam, South Africa, and now I am in the States. So it has been a really crazy time.
GI: Has there been any one place above all others where the reaction to seeing Lara has been particularly strong?
Carroll: Lots of different places actually. The games conventions are where all the Tomb Raider fans usually are and we do signings and photographs and all that. France is quite memorable in the fact that when I am ready to go onstage to do my Lara Croft gymnastics routine all the fans are all shouting “Lara! Lara!” and they were trying to climb on the stage and everything. It’s a really exhilarating experience.
GI: How long will your role as Lara Croft last?
Carroll: Well, I am promoting Tomb Raider Underworld, so as long as Tomb Raider Underworld needs promoting I suppose!
GI: Backtracking for a second, what did the name Lara Croft mean to you before you took the iconic role?
Carroll: I thought of a strong, independent woman. Girl power, I suppose!
GI: Did you follow the games or the movies before auditioning for the gig?
Carroll: Yeah, my brothers are the real gamers in the family, so they had played the whole Tomb Raider series. They are a bit older than me so I have grown up watching them play it. I have given it a go. I am not that great at it though, I am much better at getting out there and doing the real thing!
GI: That’s not something to be ashamed of! Do your brothers think that you are now the coolest person in the world after having grown up playing Tomb Raider?
Carroll: They are very proud; they keep trying to get me back in the UK. They are kind of desperate for me to go out for a drink with them, and they are hoping that someone will recognize me.
GI: I can imagine they are! Lara Croft – as you know – has quite a fan following, and those fans follow her development in all forms of media with a critical eye. Has the reception of you as Lara been well received?
Carroll: Yeah, I think it has been positive! You know, there are always going to be a few people that say negative things, but I am just trying to do my best and bring as many new things to the role as possible. I think being a gymnast helps. And the fact that I am a bit of an action girl anyway. I like to scuba dive and rock climb and so on, hopefully I am bringing Lara to life in a brand new way!
GI: As far as I remember, the previous Tomb Raider models were not as accessible in terms of interviews. They took the role in a manner similar to that of a figurehead. Eidos seems to be promoting you as an embodiment of Lara Croft as opposed to trying to pass you off as the real deal, and as such much of your personality is coming through in the character. For this reason do you feel that your role as Lara is different from the girls in the past?
Carroll: I think it is. All the other models have done a brilliant job, and they have all brought something new to the role, whether that is a slightly different look or different attitude. Karima Adebibe, the previous model was the first talking model. For me, I feel that Lara Croft was the best role I could play because I can bring together my acting, my gymnastics, my rock climbing and my outdoor pursuits all jumbled into one. From there Lara Croft emerges! So I am very luck to be playing the part.
How is performing live as Lara Croft different than performing live as Alison? I can imagine it is quite a bit different with all of the equipment on instead of just a leotard.
Carroll: It is quite difficult! First, I had to learn how to perform on hard ground, which took quite a bit of training in my back garden. Where I live I have a communal garden that is looked out on by all the other flats. I would go out in my boots and my holsters and my rucksack, and I would practice things on the grass, and that was quite difficult. But I am used to it now, and so I feel that I can take on quite anything.
GI: It seems that in the past few Tomb Raider games Lara’s moves have been more grounded in reality, although they are still pretty spectacular. Is there anything that Lara does in the game that you can’t do yourself, or that Lara makes look easier than it really is?
Carroll: Well, it is quite difficult, as I said before, to do the moves on a hard floor. And I try to do my best to do what she does in the game as much as possible. I can pretty much do all the things in the game that she can do.
GI: Along the same lines, how do you keep your guns from falling out of their holsters when you are flipping around?
Carroll: Obviously it is different in the game than in real life, but I have little clips on my holsters for when I flip around, or the guns could come flying out at any time. You don’t want them hitting you in the face while doing a routine.
GI: Are the guns lightweight replicas or closer to the real deal?
Carroll: They are replicas. They are BB guns, but they still have the weight of the real gun.
GI: What is your daily physical training like to stay in tomb-raiding shape? Do you work with professionals on a daily basis?
Carroll: I train six days a week. I go running and I go to the gym. I took on a personal trainer as well when I got the role. But when I am traveling all over the world you can imagine that is quite difficult to maintain. What I have been doing is whenever I get to a new city I put on the running gear and then I do a bit of sightseeing with a good 45-minute run.
GI: When you finally do put on the clothes and are stepping into the role, how do you balance Lara’s sex appeal to men with the other traits that have appealed to women in the past? Do you ever feel the need to play up one aspect more than the other?
Carroll: I think for me, I tend to play up the more physical side of Lara Croft. Being a gymnast has helped. Although, I think there are loads of things that make Lara Croft attractive, and the fact that she has brains and beauty and this strong personality and is able to do what an Olympic athlete can do helps. She has it all. She is one lucky lady.
GI: When you are in costume in public or at events, are there any Lara Croft rules or etiquette you have to stand by?
Carroll: Well, Lara Croft is a lady, and so she has to act like a lady. I have to maintain the voice. I am an actress, so I have to keep the posh voice up. That is important. Also, the way she sits. She sits very upright and legs crossed like a lady. And then when she is out raiding tombs, she is a bit tougher.
GI: What is the strangest or most foreign thing you have had to learn to take on the role as Lara? Do you think these skills will aid you in post-Lara life?
Carroll: Well, I had to learn to scuba dive in twenty minutes…does that count? I had to go down with no equipment on as well, which is quite hard. And at one point, there are two guys with me, and one of them is pulling me down to the bottom of the tank and tying me to the bottom of the tank. The other guy was giving me oxygen because I wasn’t wearing any equipment. And when I was ready to pose underwater, I would hold my breath and everyone would swim away, and then I would take the photo. There was one point where I asked for more oxygen to come back because I can only hold my breath for so long, and it didn’t come. So I panicked a bit. My mouthpiece got caught on something. So in the end, the guy who was giving me oxygen had to give me his oxygen, and then he had no oxygen, so he had to swim down and get the other guys spare piece, so we are now all interlinked, but we can’t go up to the surface because I am tied to the bottom of the tank. In true Lara style, we managed to float up to safety, so it was okay.
GI: After being in the role for some time now, what do you see as the biggest perk of the gig?
Carroll: I get to do crazy stunts all over the world! That is pretty cool! And I love action so it is great.
GI: You mentioned that you are a trained actress. So what is after Lara? Do you think the role has prepped you for work in action films in the future?
Carroll: I hope so! I would love to do some action films or just films in general. Films and television are the way I would like to go forward, to pursue my acting career.
GI: Do you have any fears that you might get typecast into action roles because of your Tomb Raider roots?
Carroll: No, not really. I am quite happy to do some action roles, as long as I get to do my own stunts!
GI: Final question is a bit tricky, but something I would love to get your opinion on. When Lara Croft first debuted, much of her fame came from the novelty of her being a lone female in a very male-dominated gaming space. Now that this is no longer the case, what about Lara do you think makes her still relevant to media-consumers worldwide?
Carroll: She’s Lara Croft! She has got everything in her tomb-raiding adventures. She gets to explore these epic and grand environments, and she has all this action and puzzle solving. It is just a different type of gameplay which makes her popular again every time a game comes out. And with the number of girl gamers out there, she is a great role model for them to.
GI: So you think she holds against the throngs of new female protagonist out there?
Carroll: Absolutely.
