James Bond is finally entering the #MeToo and Time’s Up era with No Time to Die. Unlike the vast majority of women in the franchise, the ladies of this film will be more than just sex objects, and at least some of that has to do with Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge who was brought on to work on the script. THR caught up with Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas to talk with them about the modernization of James Bond, and what it meant to have Waller-Bridge writing their characters…
“I very literally squealed when I first heard her name,” says Lynch, who recently played Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, British girl just like me. She’s going to know how to actually take care of women onscreen.’ “
Lynch finds herself in a potentially history-making position. Her character, Nomi, is said to have claimed the title of 007 after Bond’s retirement to Jamaica. Just how long she’ll have that title is unclear, but Daniel Craig is back and it’s likely he’ll reclaim it at some point.
“Everyone was really responsive to having her be what I wanted,” says Lynch. “You’re given a fresh perspective on a brand-new black woman in the Bond world.”
“I want her to have things that she’s dealing with before she enters a scene,” says Lynch of her Bond character. “I think I had enough space to explore her humanity as much as I could.”
Armas is riding a hot streak right now, and will be even hotter by the time No Time to Die actually arrives. The Knives Out actress plays Paloma, whose relationship to Bond is being kept a mystery, like so much else about the film…
“It’s pretty obvious that there is an evolution in the fact that Lashana is one of the main characters in the film and wears the pants — literally. I wear the gown. She wears the pants,” says de Armas.
“[Paloma] is a character that is very irresponsible,” says de Armas. “She’s got this bubbliness of someone who is excited to be on a mission, but she plays with this ambiguity — you don’t really know if she’s like a really trained, prepared partner for Bond.” Sure, de Armas is running around in a gorgeous gown with sky-high heels (“No one can train you or prepare you for that,” she says), but she adds that “brains and looks are equal this time. She’s very smart. She helps Bond navigate through certain things that he wouldn’t be able to do alone.”
It’s a really great interview with some stunning photos and you should go and check it out. No Time to Die opens April 8th 2020.
