Daniel Craig says James Bond should not be played by a woman

‘Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?’ actor says

Daniel Craig has said he does not believe that James Bond should be played by a woman.

The debate over representation and the future recasting of the spy character has rumbled on for years, with some fans suggesting a woman could take over the iconic role.

However, the idea has also sparked a backlash from critics who either say it would do the character a disservice, or that there are better ways of improving representation onscreen.

Speaking to Radio Times, Craig has now offered his own opinion, that “there should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour”.

He questioned: “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

Craig is the latest member of the Bond Universe who has spoken against a female playing the lead role.

In a 2020 interview with Variety, the franchise’s producer Barbara Broccoli said: “James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male.”

She explained this is because she’d rather create new characters for women to portray, rather than have a woman play a role originally written as male.

“I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters,” she continued. “I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

James Bond played by Daniel Craig (Columbia Pictures)

In 2017, Halle Berry also told Entertainment Tonight that the “series is steeped in history... you know, Ian Fleming’s stories. I don’t think you can change Bond to a woman.”

No Time To Die will see actor Lashana Lynch playing the first female 007.

However, speaking to The Guardian ahead of the film’s release earlier this month, Lynch denied speculation that she could take over as Bond in future instalments, saying: “Nooo! You don’t want me!”

Asked who she thought it should be, Lynch replied: “We are in a place in time where the industry is not just giving audiences what it thinks the audience wants. They’re actually giving the audience what they want to give the audience.

“With Bond, it could be a man or woman. They could be white, black, Asian, mixed race. They could be young or old. 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?”

Lynch’s comments came amid widespread speculation over who will be the next James Bond, with Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston among the frequently mentioned candidates.

No Time To Die is set to release on 30 September.