What a twist — it turns out that despite respecting Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren isn't a fan of the James Bond franchise and the character of Bond himself. It’s all down to her sense of feminine solidarity.
"The whole series of James Bond, it was not my thing. It really wasn’t. I never liked James Bond. I never liked the way women were in James Bond. The whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism."
In an interview with The Standard She went on to highlight that women have always played a significant and courageous role in the Secret Service, pointing to the bravery of women in the French Resistance as an example. Mirren expressed a desire to tell real stories of extraordinary women who have worked in such worlds.
Mirren is not the first female public figure to advocate for rethinking the very foundation of James Bond to reflect a more inclusive, feminist approach to storytelling. Earlier, franchise producer Barbara Broccoli also reflected on the role of strong female characters, expressing her belief in building new, original characters for women. While Mirren calls for a shift in the Bond franchise itself, Broccoli’s vision is focused on preserving Bond's traditional identity while simultaneously creating new roles for women.
In a 2020 interview, she remarked, "I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it."
Despite their differing approaches, both Broccoli and Mirren agree on the importance of strong female characters in storytelling, each aiming to empower women within their respective frameworks.
