Helen Mirren has been a magnetic presence in the acting world for over six decades. So her opinion on who should, or shouldn’t, be cast as the next James Bond matters. The bottom line is that the multiple award winning actress thinks the actor has to be male.
The four-time BAFTA winner shared her thoughts on the matter while doing press for a new movie, called The Thursday Murder Club. Interestingly, Helen plays a retired female spy in this latest role.
Even as a feminist, Helen Mirren doesn’t see a female James Bond working
The Royal Shakespeare Company actress is a self-proclaimed feminist. So how does she explain her stance on a female James Bond? Helen told Saga Magazine that changing Bond’s gender leaves little of what the character was meant to be.
She was asked whether her role as a spy on The Thursday Murder Club “is a better portrayal of it than in the world of 007.” Helen said that her new character is “more realistic.” She added, “But not so much fun as Bond!”
“I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work,” the Queen actress explained. “James Bond has to be James Bond. Otherwise it becomes something else.”
The next 007 movie is on hold until a new leading person is decided on. Daniel Craig had the honor for five films. And Helen’s costar in The Thursday Murder Club, Pierce Brosnan, also starred in the films produced between 1995-2002.
As for the screen adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling book, Helen admires the female character that she plays as “a manifestation of a reality, that’s for sure.” She added, “so many women have worked in that world.”
TELL US – COULD JAMES BOND BE A FEMALE ROLE? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO HELEN’S COMMENTS?
