Daniel Craig did not believe in following the misogynistic Bond Girl concept in his James Bond films. The female characters featured alongside the M16 secret agent have been termed Bond Girls in the franchise for years. Bond Girls were typically treated as female companions for the lead hero and hardly had any arc to their character, and were often killed in the story.
They mostly served as eye candy for the audience and were more like a romantic companion to James Bond. However, the 2021 film, No Time to Die stands out as the only James Bond film where female characters served as important characters instead of just being romantically involved with 007.
Daniel Craig Believes His Films Did Not Feature Bond Girls
Fans of the James Bond franchise have seen multiple actors take on the role of the British spy. Just like 007, James Bond films have featured several notable actresses alongside James Bond. And the depiction of female leads in spy thriller films has attracted a lot of criticism considering the portrayal of women in the franchise.
However, Daniel Craig believes that he did not follow the same concept in his James Bond film as he claimed that Bond Girls do not exist in his movies. “They don’t exist anymore. They may exist again, but not in my movies,” he said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
In another interview with Vanity Fair, he again mentioned that he didn’t refer to his female co-stars in the films as “Bond Girls.” The Specter star may be directed towards the development of female characters in his James Bond films and how they overcame the idea of only adding glamor to the screen.
How does No Time to Die Deviate From Bond Girls’ Concept?
No Time to Die featured multiple female actresses alongside Daniel Craig. The film brought back Léa Seydoux as James Bond’s first legitimate love interest Madeleine Swann. She first appeared in the 2015 film Spectre and became the second actress to feature in more than one James Bond movie.
Apart from being Bond’s love interest, her character was also significant due to her conflicts with the villain of the film. Not just Madeleine, the film also features two major female characters who end the Bond Girl concept.
Lashana Lynch becomes the first black and the first female agent as a worthy successor to the role of 007. The film also features Ana de Armas as Paloma, who was depicted as the potential Bond Girl. However, she rejected his advances and proved herself worthy to be on the same level as the British secret agent and keep their relationship professional.
No Time to Die is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
