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Bond girl Eva Green says 007 should always be a man
Eva Green, who played Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, has voiced her opposition to the idea of a woman playing James Bond.
At the premiere of Disney’s Dumbo on Monday night, the French actress and former Bond girl discussed the possibility of using a Doctor Who-style gender flip to revitalise the eponymous role.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, she said: “I’m for women, but I really think James Bond should remain a man. It doesn’t make sense for him to be a woman.”
She added: “Women can play different types of characters, be in action movies and be superheroes, but James Bond should always be a man and not be Jane Bond. There is history with the character that should continue. He should be played by a man.”
Daniel Craig’s next outing as 007 is expected to be his last. The film, which has been plagued by delays, is currently set for release in early 2020.
Various female actors have expressed an interest in filling Daniel Craig’s shoes. Emilia Clarke, Gillian Anderson, Priyanka Chopra and Elizabeth Banks have all indicated that they might hope to play the MI6 agent.
Green’s opinions echo those of Rachel Weisz, the Oscar-winning actor and wife of Craig. In 2018, Weisz said that Bond author Ian Fleming “devoted an awful lot of time to writing this particular character, who is particularly male and relates in a particular way to women.”
But Idris Elba, rumoured to be in the running for the role himself, is all for shaking up the status quo. Speaking to Variety last year, he said that Bond “could be a woman – could be a black woman, could be a white woman.”
He added: “Do something different with it. Why not?”