Daniel Craig Doesn't Think A Woman Should Play James Bond As Franchise Seeks To Diversify
Daniel Craig has spoken!
The 53-year-old actor — who will take his final bow as James Bond in the upcoming film No Time To Die — revealed he feels the iconic character should always be played by a male.
In a recent interview, the hunky Brit was asked if he would be for “a more diverse appointment as his replacement,” referring to a woman or a person of color taking over as the spy.
“The answer to that is very simple,” he told Radio Times. “There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, for a woman?”
The Knives Out stars view echoes the feeling the franchise’s EP Barbara Broccoli.
“Bond is male. He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as a male,” she told The Guardian. “And that’s fine. We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters.”
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Broccoli noted that although she has zero desire to change 007’s gender, she does believe his character has become more woke.
“I think Bond has come through and transformed with the times,” she continued. “I've tried to do my part, and I think particularly with the Daniel [Craig] films, they've become much more current in terms of the way women are viewed.”
Black actress Lashana Lynch, 33, joins the franchise as an M16 agent, who was given the coveted 007 title. Meanwhile, Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge also lent her talents to writing the script.
Craig noted that the 36-year-old actress and writer made her presence known in the upcoming film.
“She's got devilish humor,” he spilled. “Her influence permeates a lot of this film. She walked that fantastic line of keeping it as a thriller and being very funny. But Phoebe didn't come in to change Bond. She came in to spice it up for sure, but she's a Bond fan—she wasn't about to take him in a different direction."
