Ben Whishaw proposes that a gay actor should play the next James Bond – Far Out Magazine
As Daniel Craig’s tenure as the iconic British spy, James Bond, is finally coming to a close after five films under his Savile Row belt, rumours as to who might replace the actor in the influential role are beginning to stir.
After one of the character’s most celebrated stints, many now believe that Bond is in need of a serious revamp, with No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch stating in an interview that Bond “could be a man or woman” or “white, black, Asian, mixed-race…They could be young or old,” she said.
Detailing further, Lynch added: “At the end of the day, even if a two-year-old was playing Bond, everyone would flock to the cinema to see what this two-year-old’s gonna do, no?”.
Speaking recently at the premiere for the latest James Bond film, Lynch’s comments were rebutted by the film’s co-writer and star of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who stated: “I think Bond is James Bond…We just need to cook up someone to rival him”.
Now, Ben Whishaw, who played the role of technology whiz kid Q in the last three James Bond features, Spectre, Skyfall and Quantum of Solace, has weighed in on the conversation, commenting that having a gay actor in the new lead role would be “quite an extraordinary thing”.
Speaking to Attitude magazine, Whishaw noted, “I really believe that we should be working towards a world where anyone can play anything and it would be really thrilling if it didn’t matter about someone’s sexuality to take on a role like this”.
Continuing, he added, “I think that would be real progress. But we’ll see, we’ll just see where we’re at. I’m amazed by how much has changed in the last five or six years, so we’ll see”.
With names like Daniel Kaluuya, Tom Hardy, Richard Madden and Paapa Essiedu being discussed for the new role, Whishaw also discussed that he’d like to see Luke Evans and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey in the mix, adding, “They’re both wonderful actors”.
Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in No Time to Die is set for release in the US and the UK on September 30.
