Lea Seydoux isn’t here to gratify James Bond’s sexuality.
The “No Time to Die” star is on the May cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and in the issue she discusses her character in the film, Bond’s status as a sex symbol, the #MeToo movement, and more.
“My character is not a stereotype. It’s not clichéd. She’s a real woman, and an interesting woman. That’s what we needed,” she says, adding of female characters in modern “Bond” films, “We are not here to please Bond’s sexuality.”
Of course, the women in Bond films aren’t the only people who have been sexualized.
“I think what we forget is that James Bond is also a sexual object. He’s totally a sexual object,” Seydoux says. “He’s one of the few, maybe one of the only, male characters to be sexualized. I think that women, they love to see Bond, no? To see his body. No? Don’t you think? I love to see sexy men in bathing suits.”
Talking about the #MeToo movement, the 34-year-old says, “There is a lot of hypocrisy. Because people knew! And they take advantage now to say, ‘Yes, I’ve been a victim,’ and they become heroes. Come on! A hero, for me, would forgive. We need forgiveness, right?”
She adds, “It’s good to be a feminist. But we should be ‘masculinist’ too. And vice versa. Men should be feminists. We should support each other.”
Speaking about what it’s like for men now on movie sets, the actress says, “I think men are scared.”
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Seydoux admits she is sometimes afraid to speak her mind on these issues.
“I don’t want to be classified… I hate the politically correct. And I hate morality. The judgment,” she says. “The world has become so polished now, I find it very scary. We’re not allowed to commit any mistakes.”
But the actress also says that coming up as a woman in the industry hasn’t been as much of a challenge as it was for others in the past.
“I can understand that for past generations it was a real struggle. For me, I’ve never felt that I was inferior to men. Never have I thought that I couldn’t do something because I was a woman,” she says.
The May issue of Harper’s Bazaar is on sale April 2 and available here.
