Halle Berry thinks James Bond shouldn’t be a woman, but says there should be a whole new female character created instead.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the former Bond girl admitted that she’s not sure a female James Bond is such a good idea. ‘I want [women] to be tough, but I don’t know if Bond should be a woman,’ she said. ‘I mean, that series is steeped in history, you know Ian Fleming’s stories. I don’t think you can change Bond to a woman.’
Her comments were in response to the possibility that Charlize Theron should play the next 007 – an idea suggested by Chris Hemsworth - and come soon after a James Bond casting producer revealed the next Bond 'could be a woman'.
Halle Berry played the Bond girl Jinx Johnson in Die Another Day alongside Pierce Brosnan in 2002, but thinks there should be a new female character created altogether. ‘We can create a new Bond character that’s a woman, and give her a new name, based on that theory, but I don’t know if Bond should be a woman,’ Berry explained.
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The Bond girl character has been a vital trope of the Bond series since the beginning – almost as important as Bond himself when it comes to the premise of the story. However, there have been issues raised about the representation of women in Bond films – generally concerned with their lack of autonomy and that their sole purpose is for romancing – hence the speculation that maybe the time has come for gender stereotypes to be upended.
If James Bond were to be played by a woman it would be far in the future, as Daniel Craig has been confirmed to take on the role once more in the next instalment, which is set to land in cinemas in November 2019.
There were numerous actors considered to be the next Bond in the franchise - Idris Elba, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hiddleston, Aidan Turner, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Jamie Bell and James Norton were all rumoured - but none of them were female.
Cara Delevingne is apparently ‘in talks’ to be the next Bond girl, alongside Daniel Craig. She addressed the rumours when speaking to Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1 Breakfast: ‘Everyone’s saying I’m meant to be a Bond girl but I’m like, “no – I’m working on the James Bond aspect first.” I wouldn’t mind being a Bond girl, but I’m going for James.’
READ MORE: The Next James Bond 'Could Be A Woman' Says Casting Producer