James Bond hasn’t been able to address one of its major criticisms despite its five-decade-long run. The franchise had quite the macho men hero at its center, played by actors like Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren is the latest one to bash the franchise for its sexist portrayal and lack of strong female roles.
Fans are very much aware that Agent 007, written by Ian Fleming, slept around with women. As the franchise progressed, the ladies’ man quality became a necessity for any actor appearing in the role. However, it was something that drew the character a lot of flak.
Mirren is blunt in her words when she shared that she hated James Bond even though she loved actors Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan. There is one way in which Amazon, the new owners of the franchise, can address the sexist criticism about the IP.
Helen Mirren doesn’t like James Bond because of how the franchise treats women
Helen Mirren joins forces with James Bond star Pierce Brosnan in a new crime series called MobLand. Mirren and Brosnan play a wife and husband duo who head a London-based crime family. Speaking about her co-star, the 1923 actress opened up about his most famous role—James Bond.
During her interview with The Standard, she called out the decades-old franchise for its “profound sexism”. She shared, “I have to say I was never a great ward [of Bond].” However, she shared that she was a massive fan of Brosnan. Mirren called her co-star “one of the nicest people you’ll ever have the pleasure to work with.”
She also had only great things to say about Daniel Craig. She shared that he was “a very lovely gracious person.” However, she shared that Bond wasn’t just her thing. She hated the way women were portrayed in the franchise. Mirren told The Standard:
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.
She then went on to explain the crucial role of women in the Secret Service. She shared that there were several women who did brave things, calling them “amazingly, unbelievably courageous.” What Mirren wants from the franchise are “real stories about extraordinary women” who worked in the Secret Service.
How can Amazon address the sexist criticism against James Bond?
While Helen Mirren is opposed to the idea of a female version of James Bond, it is the only commercially viable solution Amazon could pull off while addressing the sexist criticism. Daniel Craig’s No Time to Die introduced the perfect female version of the spy, Paloma.
The Cuban intelligence operative in the film was played by Ana de Armas. Fans are already excited to see Armas’ action-packed role in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina. Seeing her in another spinoff from a famous IP would only get these fans even more hyped for the potential film. As Paloma, Armas demonstrates her abilities with pistols and machine guns.
She also learned martial arts for the role, claiming that she had only three weeks of training (via SlashFilm). Armas also played action-oriented roles in Ghosted and The Gray Man.
Fans can catch No Time to Die on Prime Video to see how Armas is perfect for a female-led film in the James Bond IP.
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