The veteran British actress Hellen Mirren assures that the mythical spy James Bond should always be played by a man, despite considering herself a “convinced feminist”.
“It can’t be a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise he would become something else,” said the actress in an interview with Saga Magazine, in which she discussed her new role in the film adaptation of the novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, along with ex-007 Pierce Brosnan.
Both commented on Amazon MGM Studios’ acquisition of creative control of the famed spy, whose next film will be created by Steven Knight, creator of ‘Peaky Blinders’.
Wilson and Broccoli’s Eon Productionsannounced in February that it was becoming a co-owner of the franchise after forming a joint venture with Amazon-owned film studios, with whom it will share intellectual property rights, although “creative control” will pass to the latter.
The films of the saga began in 1962 under producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, who passed the baton to his daughter Barbara and stepson Wilson.
Brosnan aligned himself with Helen Mirren’s position, and noted that James Bond should be a man, while wishing “the best” to Amazon in the creation of the new installment.
“I’m very excited to see the next man come on stage and see a whole new exuberance and life for this character,” said Brosnan, who played Bond in four films between 1995 and 2002.
Helen Mirren has already stated in previous interviews that, although the James Bond universe “is steeped in deep sexism,” women “have always been an important and incredibly relevant part of the secret services.”
In addition, Brosnan said last March that the next James Bond should not be American, but British.
The character, created by British Ian Fleming, still does not have a new actor to play him after British Daniel Craig made his last film, ‘No Time to Die’ (‘No Time to Die’, 2021), reported Agencia EFE.
