Entertainment Weekly is shifting the focus from Daniel Craig to the women of his upcoming 007 flick “No Time to Die”.
A new EW digital cover story explores how stars Lashana Lynch, Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas — and let’s not forget co-writer of the film’s screenplay, Phoebe Waller-Bridge — are putting their own marks on the 60-year-old James Bond film franchise.
That, of course, is by design, as producers look to redefine the so-called “Bond girl” for the current generation of moviegoers, who have far different societal views of gender roles than audiences who watched the first Bond movie, “Dr. No”, in 1962.
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Waller-Bridge’s work on the screenplay is a big part of that. “I got her in because she’s the best f**king writer around,” star Craig tells EW. “After ‘Killing Eve’ [on which Waller-Bridge was head writer for the first season], it was like, we’ve got to get her in. Her tone manages to stay serious and emotional and also manages to have jokes. I was like, we have to have her.”
In preparing for her role, Lynch details the intense training she undertook. “They taught me everything from wushu to boxing to armory to everything under the sun, really. They just prepared me for any eventuality, so if choreography should change, I was ready, and that’s exactly how I felt, completely ready,” says Lynch, describing her character, Nomi, as “just a general bad arse, kick-a**ery lady.”
In contrast, de Armas reveals her training for the film was fast-tracked. “I only had 10 days to two weeks training, which is not much for everything I had to do,” says de Armas. “I told Daniel I was nervous, and he was just like, ‘Enjoy it! If you have fun with it and trust the people you’re working with, the stunt crew and Cary and everyone, it’s going to look great.’ In the end, it all turned out very well.”
Meanwhile, Seydoux promises that her character, Madeline Swann, is far more “developed” than when she was first introduced in “Spectre”.
“We get to understand her more,” says Seydoux. “She’s not sexualized and objectified. She has become a more interesting and complex character, and I think that was needed; it was really needed.”
The entire feature can be found right here; “No Time to Die” opens Sept. 30.
