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Comments
No, American Bond girls are the worst. And I say that as an American.
Not all of them pam bouvier was terrific in my opinion a good majority of them like Christmas Jones and Jinx were awful but I wouldn't judge by the nationality scarlett could pull a great bond girl
HEY! Christmas Jones was...
...point taken.
So long as the Bond girl(s) is/are interesting and contribute to the film well, I don’t care about the other stuff too much.
It depends on the part.
Athletic? Tough? Damsel? Villain? Accomplice?
@talos7 mentions an unknown. I'll throw out two relatively unknown Americans/Canadians who could play tough, intelligent, and sexy at the same time: Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Mackenzie Davis. The two actually starred together in Smashed.
Susan Egan
Leelee Sobieski
Amy Hunter
Eloise Mumford
Samantha Lockwood
Jennifer Lothrop
Shailene Woodley
Patti D'Arbanville
Justine Cotsonas
Canada:
Rachel Skarsten
Sarah Gadon
I'm partial to Lizzy Caplan. She does mainly tv work but impressed me on Masters of Sex. Caitlin Fitzgerald similarly (from the same show).
Nice article that sums up the current news that we have so far on Bond 25 - for anyone with questions that hasn't been caught up.
American stuff is the worst in general. Give me an elegant French Bond girl.
Here she is 2 years ago...
I'd have to agree with you @patb, Marisa is indeed a very attractive...mature woman. I could see her as a potential love interest, but would the general audience accept her.
I'm all for change but not just because it's trendy. But because it benefits the character or story.
So many seeming demands that have to be met to please the PC brigade nowadays.
Brosnan: "A microphone, eh? What does it do?"
Muppet: "Well, it amplifies your voice [snip]"
...
So we can blame that Muppet, right?
Sorry, third advantage, more mature actresses can bring more gravitas IMHO
Sorry, forth, it takes the pressure off of DC in trying to look younger than he is.
Sorry, fifth, they can make up for the dreadful way Monica B's role was handled. Really underused.
I think you need someone who has the "acting chops" to bring drama and class but not too big a star who will be a detraction from DC.
I don't agree on the subject of age however. Age is just a number. If we can have a 50+ year old Bond we can have a 20+ year old Bond 'girl'. Such a person could still be a 'woman' if she has the qualities of maturity, acting chops and screen gravitas. Eva Green is one of the best Bond 'girls' and she was only 26 when she played Vesper. Scorupco was 25. Admittedly the respective Bond actor was far younger than Craig will be when they respectively starred, but they both punched above their age.
The issue with Tanya Roberts was acting chops. Her character also came across a bit ditzy, which emphasized the gap. There was a tendency to portray younger women in that light in the earlier Bond films, particularly the later Moore ones, and that's something they should avoid. In the case of Seydoux, she appeared out of her depth, at least imho. Again something that should be avoided.
I had mentioned on another thread that a way to possibly approach this with an advanced and aged Craig is to make the Bond 'girl' role similar to how they do it with Hanks in the Robert Langdon Dan Brown adaptations, or even Cruise in the last MI. There is a hint of attraction but they don't take it further. Even older men are allowed to appreciate a capable younger woman I hope, even today. As long as they don't take advantage.
If we want the audience to "buy into" any relationship, it has to be believable. One of the reasons it worked so well in OHMSS was the age. Obviously depends on the script and whether a meaningful relationship is required. We were asked to emotionally invest in the relationaship re SP (18 year difference) and it never really worked.
If this version of DC's Bond is a randy 51 year old having one night stands with girls half his age, then there are many more suitable actresses.
What I'm saying is that the right actress, with the right acting skills and screen maturity, can punch above her age and create the right impression despite being younger. In a time when the millennial is increasingly a target for marketers, that may be the way to go. Furthermore as mentioned, the relationship doesn't have to be overtly sexual. Bond can boink an older supporting character (like he did in SP) while working hand in hand with a younger and capable Bond 'girl'. It's all a question about how one approaches it.
Regarding a relationship being 'believable', it all comes down to chemistry rather than age imho. That is how it is in real life as well.
Why put the pressure on a younger actress (and the risk they fail) to "punch abover their age" when you can have an actress who can act her age?
We dont expect actors playing Bond to "punch above their age", we cast men of the correct age.
Ultimately if someone wants to get it on with a younger person, that is perfectly fine with me as long as they are mature. Conversely, if someone is attracted to someone in her 50's, more power to him too.
RE: pressure on a younger actress - I think that's the point of the job. If someone younger can deliver in that role she will have earned her keep in this business. If you put Eva Green in her 20s up against any actor in his 50s, she'd still be credible, and would own him.
Personally though, I would go with someone in their 30‘s. End 30‘s maybe. Just to not fire these discussions.