While the James Bond franchise has been around for many decades, it’s only recently that more cinephiles have called out some of the franchise’s entries for their representation of women, especially those who are only presented as love interests for James Bond. However, it looks as things will be changing in the upcoming No Time to Die. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Lea Seydoux spoke about returning to her role as Madeleine Swann, and how she and the other female characters will have much more nuanced roles. Seydoux stated,
“We are not here to please Bond’s sexuality,” Seydoux explained. “What we forget is that James Bond is also a sexual object. He’s totally a sexual object. He’s one of the few, maybe one of the only, male characters to be sexualized. I think that women, they love to see Bond, no? To see his body. No? Don’t you think?”
Along with Seydoux, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who helped contribute to the film’s script, has also hinted at a change in the female representation in the film. Bridge stated,
“I just want to make sure that when they get those pages through, that Lashana, Léa, and Ana open them and go, ‘I can’t wait to do that. As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I’m giving that to an actress. There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women.”
She goes on to explain, “I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”
No Time to Die will be released on November 25th.
