There is “no need to take steal someone else’s character,” according to actress Ana de Armas, who played Paloma, a gun-wielding female agent, in the most recent Bond film No Time to Die.
De Armas was asked by the Sun newspaper if she thought the producers of the next 007 movie should go “woke” and cast an actor who self-identifies as “non-binary” to play James Bond. De Arrmas, who played a far more combative female agent than what fans are used to seeing in the Bond series, disagreed with that approach.
The actress believes James Bond does not need to be changed in order to please a more progressive audience.
“There’s no need for a female Bond,” de Armas added. “There shouldn’t be any need to steal someone else’s character, you know, to take over.”
De Armas went on to say she believes some properties should stick to the traditional traits that have made them into beloved classics, but did admit she felt the ways women are portrayed in the series could use some updating from the traditional roles they’ve played in the franchise.
“This is a novel, and it leads into this James Bond world and this fantasy of that universe where he’s at.” Adding that “what I would like is that the female roles in the Bond films, even though Bond will continue to be a man, are brought to life in a different way,” she said. “That they’re given a more substantial part and recognition. That’s what I think is more interesting than flipping things.”
This thinking seems to compliment 007 producer Barbara Broccoli, who has dismissed the idea that James Bond could become “Jane Bond.” “Bond is male. He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as a male,” Broccoli said at the time. “And that’s fine. We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters.”
Even the most recent 007, Daniel Craig responded in the affirmative about adding some diversity to the world of Bond, but couched his response to keep Bond a man. “There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, for a woman?”
