With MANIAC helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga's BOND 25 planned as Daniel Craig's last hoorah for playing the legendary superspy, just about everyone has an opinion as to who should replace him for the character's next action-packed mission. In the past, names like Tom Hardy and Idris Elba have been floated as worthy contenders for the part, though recently, COLETTE and TOMB RAIDER actor Dominic West has proposed casting a transgender actor in the illustrious role.
West said as much while speaking with The Sunday Times by saying, “Maybe a transgender Bond would be cool.” As the interview continues, West says that he arrived at the idea of making Bond transgender while working alongside Keira Knightley and Jake Graf on the set of COLETTE, the upcoming biographical drama that centers on a writer who is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms. While shooting the film, West had discovered a certain admiration for his transgender co-star, Jake Graf, who plays Gaston de Caillavet in the movie, a cis male character.
“There’s a very cool woman who’s the wife of an actor in ‘Colette’ who is a captain in the electrical engineers, the highest-ranking transgender soldier in the army,” West said of Jake Graf’s wife, Hannah Winterbourne.. “She’s a beautiful blonde girl who could be Bond, yes. That’s actually a brilliant idea. They should have a transgender Bond because there are a lot of transgender people in the army. They’d be ideal because they can do everything.”
Later in their talk, when West was asked about the possibility of Hardy taking on the role, West remarked, “I think Tom Hardy could be a good Bond.” West continued, “I’d be happy to see him do it. You need an actor who can put a bit of wiggle into it – that’s what makes Bond.”
While some might say that the thought of a transgender Bond is out of the question, I would remind them that times they are a changin', and that transgender actors are continuing to make great strides throughout much of Hollywood. Will the Bond franchise be the property to break the mold? Let us know what you think of West's proposition in the comments section below.
be sure to catch Daniel Craig's last turn as James Bond when BOND 25 hits theaters on February 14, 2020.
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