‘I Never Liked James Bond’ We Definitely Won't Be Seeing…

Summary

Helen Mirren criticizes James Bond for the sexist portrayal of women in the films.
James Bond women in novels were portrayed as strong and independent.
The Bond franchise has evolved with women in more diverse and powerful roles.

James Bond is one of the most successful spy franchises for decades. The movie always features beautiful women, but an award-winning actress didn't like how they were portrayed in the film.

Ian Fleming's novel portrayed James Bond as a charming and womanizer spy. He frequently encounters beautiful and mysterious women. These ladies often play a significant role in his mission. They are either allies, love interests, or femme fatales. The movie reinforces this, giving Bond a playboy image. At the recently concluded Oscars, several women performed as a tribute to the James Bond franchise, which raised eyebrows because the audience felt it made no sense and had no relevance to the show. An English actress whose career has spanned over 60 years and with numerous awards hasn't been a fan of the franchise. The world-class performer and celebrity said they didn't like how women were portrayed in the franchise.

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A former James Bond star believed the Broccolis were right to step back from the franchise and hand it over to Amazon.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Helen Mirren recently spoke with The London Standard about James Bond. The Red star criticized it for the roles it gave to women featured in the movies because she felt they were "born out of profound sexism." Due to this, Mirren admitted that she wasn't a fan of the hit franchise. "The whole series of James Bond, it was not my thing," Mirren explained. "It really wasn't. I never liked James Bond. I never liked the way women were in James Bond." The Oscar winner also added that she didn't want to see a woman leading the franchise since she would prefer to feature real-life stories involving women doing undercover work. The Good Liar actress noted that "women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been." She even cited their role during the French Resistance. She said:

If you hear about what women did in the French Resistance, they're amazingly, unbelievably courageous. So I would tell real stories about extraordinary women who've worked in that world.

Due to the way women have been portrayed in the Bond films, many have called it out for sexism. Some even accused James Bond of being a misogynist. However, according to researchers, the author of the Bond novels didn't write women the way they were presented in the films. Fleming reportedly wrote about strong women who saved Bond many times in an era where women were only pictured in the kitchen. Per researcher Julia Kulbarsch-Wilke (via Hunting Bond), the women in the books did not embody the "50s prevalent role model of being a [housewife] and mother." Yvonne Tasker also told Time magazine that the Bond girls in the novels were "strong and sexually independent." For instance, in the book "Dr. No," Honey Rider was an orphan and raped survivor who later killed her persecutor. She rescued an unconscious Bond from Dr. No. 'S Island. In "Thunderball," Domino is the villain's love interest, but when she discovers he betrays her, she helps Bond and kills her ex-lover.

Mirren was right about her observation regarding women's roles in James Bond movies. However, one should note that the films were very different from how Fleming presented the women in the books. In most cases, movies make changes when they adapt books for live-action to appeal to the audience. In the classic James Bond era, women were presented like damsels in distress. Their roles have evolved over time since, in the modern era, women have become more than love interests and are spies, assassins and leaders. For example, M, portrayed by Judi Dench, is Bond's boss. Also, Nomi, played by Lashanda Lynch in No Time To Die, is M16's first female 007 agent, proving that women can also step into Bond's role.

As for Mirren's disapproval of women being the next Bond, it's understandable and unlikely to happen. The former James Bond producer, Barbara Broccoli, reportedly had two requirements for the next Bond — that the lead be British and man. Although Broccoli no longer has creative control of the franchise after Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights, Broccoli and her brother, Michael G. Wilson, remain co-owners of the intellectual property rights. Broccoli's wishes for the franchise will likely be honored.