New face of Lara Croft is a gymnast

London, Aug 21 : For Alison Carroll, a receptionist at a golf club, being chosen to be the new face of Lara Croft was a dream come true.

Carroll, who is a gymnast, will be touring the world as 'Tomb Raider' video game heroine Lara Croft, and the 23-year-old from Croydon has revealed that she will only be happy if she were as good as actress Angelina Jolie.

"It's strange to be following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie. She's amazing and if I can be anywhere near as good as her I'll be happy," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

"This is my perfect job. I have always wanted to be an action hero and hope to be able to use my gymnastic ability to perform all of Lara's stunts. It is slightly daunting but I am really excited at the same time," she said.

She first auditioned for the role more than a year ago, and was pitted against hundreds of girls.

"I went into a room and performed all my stuff, such as somersaults, back flips, rolls, all the things Lara can do in the game. I got a recall and performed all my stuff again, this time in costume, and I got the job," she said.

Tomb Raider, invented by computer game designer Toby Gard, has been a massive success since its launch in 1996.

To date there have been eight versions of the game (with another scheduled for release in November), earning its creators and owner millions of pounds.

Lara Croft has been played most memorably by Nell McAndrew, who did the same kind of promotional work that Carroll will be doing, and Jolie, who starred in the two Tomb Raider films, and both have inspired the new face.

"I would love to meet them but especially Angelina. She's brilliant and has always been a role model of mine. I love her acting. She is so very talented and beautiful. Before I even auditioned I watched the films over and over and played the video game to make sure I understood the character perfectly," she added.

There is a lot of hard work involved for Alison, but she knows that even Hollywood A-lister Jolie had to put in the hours before she could start filming.

Jolie had voice coaching to help her develop a British accent, and followed a rigorous martial arts training programme.

ANI