Craig doesn’t think the question is simply ‘should the next Bond be a woman’ but more ‘why aren’t there more iconic and empowering roles written for women?’
Daniel Craig has said that rather than debating whether the next Bond should be a woman, there should simply be better roles written for women in today’s world.
In a recent interview with the Radio Times, Craig was asked the same question everyone has been asking as of late: should the next Bond be “a more diverse appointment” – to which the 53-year-old responded by changing the goalposts even more.
The five-time portrayer of legendary super-spy James Bond instead replied: “The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
This also comes off the back of Lashana Lynch – the franchise’s first Black female 007 – saying that the next Bond “could be a man or woman […] white, black, Asian, mixed race […] young or old.” Also speaking to Radio Times, film critic James King said there are “no rules” other than “they’re a good actor and they’re a strong presence.”
Craig was speaking alongside producer Barbara Broccoli, who told Good Morning Britain last year that “James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male.” It is also worth mentioning that he previously told The Mirror, “I think that everybody should be considered. Also for women and for African-Americans, there should be great parts anyway, across the board.”
At the time, Broccoli went on to say very much the same then as her leading man did in his recent interview: “We have to make movies about women and women’s stories but we have to create female characters and not just for a gimmick turn a male character into a woman.”
The No Time To Die star also talked up Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s role as one of the writers on the upcoming film, insisting that the Fleabag and Killing Eve mastermind has carried her penchant for both comedy and drama into the project, whilst not fundamentally changing Bond. “She came in to spice it up for sure, but she’s a Bond fan,” he said.
No Time To Die is Craig’s final Bond film and it releases in the UK on September 30. He gave his goodbye to the legendary role in an emotional speech during the last day on set.
Related links:
- A shake up that will cause a stir: Here’s who should play Bond next
- Henry Cavill ‘pushing to be the next James Bond’
- Daniel Craig reveals the dark side of playing Bond – ‘I was physically and mentally under seige’
