By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — There’s a special twist in the current James Bond film “No Time To Die.” It’s not quite the one that some would like, as there’s been a push in some circles to have Idris Elba become the new 007 in place of Daniel Craig, who’s departing the role. However there IS a new OO7 for this film. Lashana Lynch is making history. Her “No Time to Die” character of Nomi takes over the 007 mantle in the new film.
Unfortunately, not all reaction to this news has been positive. When news leaked that Lynch would be 007, she became the target of racist Bond fans and internet trolls. This despite the fact that Lynch isn’t really the new “Bond.” She’s simply a character taking over the 007 mantle because when the film begins Daniel Craig’s Bond is MIA.
But Lynch hasn’t let the backlash affect her. Her outlook remains positive as she told the website Shadow and Act.
“I’m always thinking culture first, me second,” Lynch said. “I’m always going to be the vessel for the role but historically, I want my roles to have longevity. I want the legacy to be strong. I want to be able to really impart knowledge, to use things as an educational moment for people who don’t understand Black narratives or the importance of it and this was just an example of me really having the necessary conversations with the people that matter…the heads of departments…to really teach them what this Black experience will mean.”
“Also, the fact that she was even an idea shows how much they are ahead of a lot of people and also the fact that they are continuing with this and she ended up being such a powerful figure in the movie is amazing and I’m also getting to really give young girls what I didn’t get when I was younger,” she continued. “We didn’t see a lot of this on-screen when I was younger. We just had to figure this stuff out and now they don’t have to figure it out anymore. She’s an example of where we can continue to go and the conversation that we need to continue to have.”
Lynch also had a good working relationship with Craig on the film. “It was nice to just see him work,” she added. “There’s being on set with someone and being able to really take the scene and really feel it out and put new ideas into it but to watch someone work, to watch how they manage, how they become the head of a franchise, how you hold that? You hold your own, you make shifts, you have agency, you speak up for other people, which he does.”
“You really teach departments how to encapsulate the world into this one historical moment, which is important,” she continued. “Watching him just [vibing] and [cracking wise] with the crew and…just doing all the things that we see him do on screen but being really cool and calm about it–which I’m sure he wasn’t a lot at the time–but me looking from the outside, it was just great to learn how to head something, how to really be at the top and allow things to trickle down positively.”
“No Time To Die” continues this week in theaters only.
