Actor Lashana Lynch will star in the new Bond movie titled No Time To Die where she plays the role of Nomi, an MI6 agent who rumours suggest is to inherit James Bond’s iconic number 007.
The actress herself however has played down speculation that she could take the reigns of the franchise as the lead in future installments.
“Nooo! You don’t want me!” she told The Guardian with a fit of giggles in an interview.
The 33-year-old went on stating that next Bond can be anyone: a man or woman, a young or old person, from any race.
“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?” the west London star said.
Her comments come at a time when actors including Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are the frequently mentioned candidates for the role of the next Bond. If it really is to be The Captain Marvel star to be the 007 it could very well send shockwaves within an industry that’s always been by the book but also birth new inspiration and great possibilities for young people and future generations to come. It truly would be of historic proportions along with setting Lynch to new heights in her career. Not that she needed it anyway, Lynch is an already gifted actor and to even be considered is of great compliment to her talent and hard work.
In discussion about her character, Nomi, the actor said the makers were just looking for someone who would be able to be a match for Bond.
“… Who would be able to stand up and be vocal and forthright and strong and able to handle a weapon, able to handle herself and not someone who takes any crap from anybody at all.
Lynch was born in Shepherd’s Bush in 1987, a second-generation Jamaican child of a Windrush family. Her father was a social worker for young teens and her mother is a housing manager. “They were both in service, both helping people,” she says. When they separated when she was young, Lynch continued to see a lot of both of them. She also lived with her grandmother. “I think that’s where the maturity came on board,” says Lynch. “You’re with an old lady, so she’s gonna teach you old-lady things!”
Coming from a Jamaican family continues to be a yardstick for Lynch. “My house was strictly Jamaican,” she says. “Being Jamaican is… there’s an attitude and a swagger that comes with just being born into a Jamaican family. You know how to stand up for yourself. Pretty instantly, like out of the womb, you’re already taking charge.”
You can see her taking charge in No Time To Die which is due in cinemas from 30 September.
WATCH: No Time To Die Trailer
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film also stars Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw, Naomi Harris, Jeffery Wright, Christoph Waltz, and Ralph Fiennes.
No Time To Die is slated to be released in theatres from September 30.
