Helen Mirren has entered the chat, and she’s got some opinions on the future of James Bond. Spoiler alert: She’s not here for a gender-swapped 007.
The 79-year-old acting legend—who could probably take out a room full of bad guys with a single withering glance—recently shared her thoughts on the idea of a female Bond. And let’s just say, she’s not shaking or stirring with excitement.
“I never liked the way women were in James Bond,” Helen declared, likely sipping tea with the intensity of a thousand MI6 agents. “The whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism.”
Tell ‘em, queen.
Instead of just slapping a wig on 007 and calling it a day, Helen thinks we should be focusing on the actual badass women of espionage history.
“Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service. They always have been. And very brave,” she pointed out, probably while mentally drafting a spy movie starring herself as the lead.
And she’s got receipts.
“If you hear about what women did in the French Resistance, they’re amazingly, unbelievably courageous,” she added. “So I would tell real stories about extraordinary women who’ve worked in that world.”
Translation: Give us a real female spy movie, Hollywood. And while you’re at it, go ahead and cast Helen Mirren in a trench coat, sunglasses, and a top-secret mission. We’d watch that in IMAX. Twice.
