The Next Lara Croft: Big Boots to Fill

Ah, Lara Croft. You’ve created yourself quite a legacy. Action hero, accomplished archaeologist, object of fanboys’ desires—all this, and a British accent to ensure that you’re still taken seriously after your circus-worthy acrobatics (not that an accent necessarily helped the Spice Girls seem more legit). You are truly the perfect female: strong, smart, attractive, and British. Every girl in her right mind would probably want to be you. Upon closer examination, however, maybe they really wouldn’t.

Ladies, it’s tough to be Croft. Yes, you might glare in jealousy at the game convention iterations of this iconic character, thinking how glorious it might be to travel the world and get salivated upon by every male in your near proximity. But in all fairness, these models practically have to be Olympic contenders or Miss Universe to fit the part. Moreover, the majority of people picture Angelina Jolie when they think of Lara Croft now, and how many women can really hold a torch to her? No matter how you look at it, some pretty high standards have been set.

Let’s take a look at the most recent Lara to step up to bat, Alison Carroll. Athletic? Check. Intelligent? Check. Attractive? Check. British? Check. Looks like we’re off to a good start. Golf club receptionist by day, professional display gymnast by night, this multifaceted lass from London hitch-kicked hundreds in her path to win this coveted role. Her challenge didn’t end there, however. Alison still rigorously trains every single day to continue looking good in her snug-fitting booty shorts, no small feat in and of itself. The really impressive thing, however, is that she took a crash course in archaeology in order stay in character during interviews. She basically has to be Lara 24/7, both in public and for the screen. Now that’s dedication—to a crazy extent.

But it doesn’t stop there. Alison will have to watch what she does when she’s out of character, too. Nell McAndrew lost her Lara gig in 1999 after posing nude for Playboy, nearly instigating a lawsuit for Playboy’s mention of Tomb Raider on the issue’s cover. Call me crazy, but I don’t think a lot of male Tomb Raider fans were horribly offended. Rhona Mitra, an ex-Lara and recent star of Doomsday, also posed for Playboy, but only after she was fired by Eidos Interactive for undisclosed reasons.

If you feel like catching a glimpse of Alison in action and seeing if it’s worth the trouble, she will be appearing in commercials and at live events in promotion of the upcoming game, Tomb Raider: Underworld, showing off her physical prowess and newly acquired archaeology knowledge. For more information on Alison or her predecessors, scandalous and otherwise, visit this page, dedicated to Lara’s “evolution.”

I don’t blame any girls out there for giving dirty looks at the new Lady Croft if they run across her at a convention, but afterward, give her a high-five. Yeah, she probably has the coolest job and is one of the hottest women on earth, but she worked hard to get there, so let’s give her some props.