The sun set on Daniel Craig’s time as 007 with No Time To Die (2021). While the actor has already said his goodbyes, there’s one question that remains unanswered: Who will be cast as the next James Bond? We still don’t know who’ll next be hired in the role, but, according to Craig and former Bond girl Gemma Arterton, the character shouldn’t be portrayed by a female actor.
Should the next James bond be female?
Names of various A-list celebrities have circulated as being in the running to next portray James Bond, including Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Bridgerton (2020-present) star Regé-Jean Page. However, the potential contenders vying for the role are male, which begs the question of whether or not the iconic spy could become a female character played by a female actor.
After all, it’s 2021 – a woman could easily deliver the stellar performance necessary to portray James Bond.
A female James Bond is a hot topic, with many people having strong opinions. Despite the debate, a record number of empowered women worked on No Time To Die. Phoebe Waller-Bridges, who created, wrote and starred in the hit BBC series, Fleabag (2016-19), was brought on to help make the female characters in the movie feel like “actual humans.”
Daniel Craig weighs in on the matter
In 2021, Daniel Craig gave an interview to Radio Times and weighed in with his own thoughts on whether or not James Bond could be portrayed by a female. According to Craig, the “answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color.”
He added, “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
Craig’s answer is obviously empathetic to the lack of female and colored actors appearing in featured films. However, many social movements have worked for the inclusion of both women and individuals of color in the entertainment industry, and in society as a whole.
Craig isn’t the only one who’s worked on the Bond movies who believes the character should remain male. Executive producer Barbara Broccoli gave an interview to The Guardian in 2018, in which she states, “Bond is male. He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay male.”
Lashana Lynch gives her opinion on the industry
While many people working on the franchise believe James Bond should remain male, it’s worth noting that nothing was said about the character of 007. In fact, the new agent starring alongside Daniel Craig in No Time To Die is a Black woman named Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch.
Speaking with The Guardian, Lynch said that Hollywood is actually in a place where it’s “actually giving the audience what they want to give the audience. With Bond, it could be a man or woman. They could be white, black, Asian, mixed race. They could be young or old. At the end of the day, even if a two-year-old was playing Bond, everyone would flock to the cinema to see what this two-year-old’s gonna do, no?”
However, when asked if she’d be the next (and first female) Bond, Lynch responded, “Nooo! You don’t want me!”
Gemma Arterton shares her thoughts on a female James Bond
Another person to weigh in on the debate is Gemma Arterton, who portrayed Bond girl Strawberry Fields in 2008’s Quantum of Solace. Speaking with The Times, she said that changing James Bond’s gender may not fit with the tradition of the franchise.
“Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man? They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to respect the tradition.”
More from us: Clint Eastwood Could Have Replaced Sean Connery as James Bond
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At the end of the day, regardless of who’s chosen to play the next James Bond, we think we can all agree that there should be better parts for both women and actors of color.