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And @thelivingroyale , I suspect you are testing the waters because you really, really want to audition for the role yourself. Who can blame you for that? ;)
Why should I keep it to myself?Ian Fleming wrote the character as a white character. I know lets reboot Shaft as a white guy! Doh
Best line on the thread. :))
Lines like that are as far removed from reality as it gets. Do you guys really think you can change reality by simply ignoring it?
The Bond tune never at any point says that he is white.
Think about it.
Fine, then think about LALD:
"White face in Harlam. Good thinking, Bond."
You say that as if continuity somehow matters in these films...
Much like Shaft, however, LALD has that blaxploitation feel that came from 70s movies.
No, but casting the best person for the role does. All that bull a few years ago about Colin Salmon as Bond. His name was thrown in simply to stir controversy about having a back Bond, yet Salmon had the charisma of a winkle. No point casting a black actor just for the sake of having a black actor. Cast the best person for the role.
Maybe one day he will be black. But only because someone comes along who knocks it out of the park.
@ChickenStu, what are your thoughts on a disabled Bond? I ask because I have a disabled son, and I think they should get opportunities as well. Do you agree a disabled Bond would be a good idea....assuming the actor was a good one?
Not being controversial here, simply seeing your take on equal opportunities and the fact these are only movies when all's said and done...
Nah I'd be shit. I sound nothing like Bond and I've never really acted before :P
Then your argument "The Bond tune never at any point says that he is white." has little value either.
Neither did Lazenby........
When the literary Bond character is described, do you visualize him as being white? I'd venture to say most people would, so in that sense I'd argue Bond should be white. Also, literary Bond (and cinematic Bond, as seen in SF) is Swiss/Scottish (i.e. white)
Counterpoint:
Does that really matter? I don't think it really does. I'd be all for a black 007, but I feel like if it happened it would be because they felt like they should make him black. I think they should only get a black Bond if he's the best image of Bondiness available. About Idris Elba, he's too old. I think Chiwetel Ejiofor wouldn't be bad.
And in Casino Royale, Vesper says...
"Bond reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael ... [snip]"
Is that enough proof that Bond is stated, rather than assumed to be a white man.
Herein lies the difficulty. I don't personally imagine B&M would ever cast for political reasons. However, there will always be a section, an unfortunately large section, who will always claim it is tokenism, whatever the intentions may be. Look how many times it popped up during the MP discussions surrounding SF? You can't win. It's made worse by Oxbridge idiots like Danny Cohen at the BBC, introducing quotas. That does not help the under represented. It's a combination of recognising talent and having an audience that is willing to recognise it too. Not one waiting for the first opportunity to spout vitriol because something has changed and doesn't quite chime with their world view.
I digress. Bond is White man, obviously. Will it always be that way? Time will tell.
To be honest, I don't think that there was ever any doubt that James Bond was a white man - it surely went unsaid for a thriller hero of the 1950s and early 1960s.
Correct Dragonpol. I was starting to feel a little perplexed that people were trying to prove it.
Me too.
What do you think I think?
And why are we straying from the discussion?
This thread is about whether we would accept a black guy in the part. Which yes, I would. If you seriously want to put that question out there, start a thread for it.
That way, I can choose whether I want to answer it or not without feeling like someone is leading me down a dark path...
For someone who isn't trying to be controversial, you sure can ask a loaded question NicNac.
Agreed on that. Let's stick to the subject in hand and not go off in dfirections that can only lead to offence being caused by one side or the other. This thread is about a black Bond, nothing else.
Wentworth would be worthy of consideration. He did do a great job in Prison Break which had lots of spyfy danger elements. He could pass for Bond. Doesn't matter if he is gay, as long as he plays Bond straight. He pulled off straight quite well in Prison Break. And as for his look, with the right accent etc he could pull off Bond's upper-class British roots. He is an actor afterall, and he's white enough to pull off Fleming's very white Bond too.
I would allow him to attend the auditions, as long as he is not too old, when the time comes.
I want the next Bond to be cast young. 30-35 max. He does have the right hair colour, so we could save money on dye.
I haven't seen anyone wanting it 'badly'. I've only seen suggesting for why it may or may not be feasible.
I don't think anybody has said they really want one, just that we'd accept one.
You could argue that Casino Royale was a slap in the face of 40 years of cinematic Bond "tradition" but most fans (myself included) think it's one of the best in the series. Change can be a good thing. A black actor could be cast and end up being the best Bond ever.
IMO, he has the right complexion, but that's about it. I enjoyed his role in Prison Break, but I can't picture this guy as Bond at all. But yes, a guy with a similar background, with a Black parent (or Asian, or whatever) but looking white could play Bond and it wouldn't even be a controversy. I agree about a gay actor being able to play Bond, but I am not sure if people would accept it. That said, the acting profession being in general and traditionally way more open about homosexuality than any other, I am surprised no homosexual has ever played Bond yet.