Naomie Harris makes feelings clear on becoming first female James Bond after Miss Moneypenny debut
Oscar-nominated actress Naomie Harris has shared her thoughts on whether a woman could step into James Bond’s shoes – and if she would put herself forward for the role.
The 48-year-old star, who is set to return to the spy world with Steven Soderbergh’s new thriller Black Bag, is already familiar with the 007 universe through her role as the iconic Miss Moneypenny
When asked if Miss Moneypenny could be the next Bond while speaking with RadioTimes, Harris was clear about her position.
“I’m definitely not putting Miss Moneypenny’s name in the ring! I love my role, and I have a wonderful time being part of the franchise,” she said.
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While Harris did not weigh in on the British Bond actor debate, she added that 007 must inhabit certain key traits which were “sophistication, sexiness, mystery, sense of humour, charm”.
Harris believed those characteristics could be embodied by a man or a woman, despite the role being traditionally typified as a uniquely male one.
Marisa Abela, 28, who stars alongside Harris in Black Bag, was less convinced on the prospect of a female Bond while speaking in the same interview.
“It would be so hard for any woman to take on that role because there would be so much backlash,” she remarked.
The Back to Black star added: “I’m not sure if audiences are ready for it yet.”
Speculation on who will replace Daniel Craig as 007 reached fever pitch after after longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson handed creative control of the franchise to Amazon.
The choice of who will take their Martinis shaken, not stirred will now ultimately be decided by the streaming giant.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton have long been considered frontrunners in the race, regularly jockeying for the position of overall favourite for the role.
However, they have often faltered in comparison to The Gentlemen star Theo James who remains the bookies choice.
James holds 7/4 odds of taking his Martini’s shaken not stirred, translating to a 36.4 percent chance according to OLBG.
However, Dickinson has seen a “significant surge in the betting market”, as per the site’s entertainment betting expert Jake Ashton.
In the last two weeks alone, the 28-year-old’s odds have been slashed from 16/1 to 5/2.
The “massive market mover” now holds a 28.6 percent chance of swooping the role on the back of his starring role alongside Nicole Kidman in Babygirl.
While the identity of the next Bond remains a mystery, it was also recently reported that Florence Pugh was being eyed by Amazon as a potential star of a Miss Moneypenny spin-off.