First Black Bond Girl Is Not On Board with Woman Being Cast as Next '007'
Plenty of people were surprised this week by the revelation that actress Lashana Lynch will be taking over from Daniel Craig and portraying “007” — the fictional British agent who’s been the subject of two dozen movies over the years.
Lynch won’t be playing James Bond, who’s currently portrayed by by Daniel Craig. Instead, in the upcoming installment of the series, Craig is expected to pass the mantle to Lynch’s character, who will assume the “007” code name.
Not everyone is on board with 007 being a woman.
Trina Parks played Bond love interest “Thumper” alongside Sean Connery in the 1971 film “Diamonds Are Forever.” In so doing, she was the first of the so-called “Bond girls” to be played by a black actress.
Parks has no issue with the fact that Lynch, like her, is black.
It’s more about the fact that 007 has traditionally been played by a man, and the original book series was written by a man. Parks sees no good reason for the sudden change.
“Lashana is a great actress, but I don’t really agree with her becoming 007,” Parks told the U.K. Daily Mail in an interview published Friday. “It is not about her color, but just because Bond, the spy code-named 007, was written by Ian Fleming as a man.”
“So a black James Bond sure, I don’t see why that could not be a move, but as a man. Miss Bond doesn’t have the same ring to it,” she added.
Parks noted that there are already plenty of movies where women stand out by “taking center stage, defeating men — and I like that.”
“But I don’t feel that the James Bond franchise has to go there,” she said.
“They set a standard that has remained a classic film with a man as Bond — and that is how I think it should stay,” Parks added.
Parks went on to emphasize that Bond films have historically made a point of being diverse.
“The Bond franchise has gone out of the box with black actors and women of color more than any other franchise,” she told the Daily Mail.
She specifically pointed out that in “Diamonds Are Forever,” she, a black woman, kicked a white man in groin.
“Those small moments like in ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ made a difference, but it has taken too long for the USA to get up to speed on inclusion,” Parks said.
“The Bond movies really did pave the way for the millions of people who watched the films at movie theaters or on TV to see a kaleidoscope of faces, different to their own. And over time these films do make a difference.”
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