Historically, the representation of women in Bond flicks hasn’t necessarily been the most progressive but that’s all about to change as Phoebe Waller-Bridge discusses, in a new interview, her involvement on Bond 25 and all that she’s doing for the female characters.
We spoke about ‘Bond 25’ and its Billie Eilish-assisted theme song on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
The Bond 25 script has gone through quite a lot of people to say the least. An initial script was penned by Robert Wade and Neal Purvis, but was eventually sidelined for an original idea by Danny Boyle and John Hodge. However, after these two left due to creative differences, Robert Wade and Neal Purvis’ original script was back on the table and Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in at the finish line to add humour and polish it all up.
In an interview with Deadline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge spoke about what exactly her involvement was in writing the Bond script. She said, “When I saw (Daniel Craig’s) Bond for the first time, there was a wryness to his performance that I really loved… So, I was really excited about writing dialogue for him. I mean, the script was there. It’s already there. I think it’s unfair to say that I’m writing the script.”
The Fleabag and Killing Eve creator also detailed her thoughts on Bond’s relevancy in this day-in-age, saying: “There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not (the Bond films are) relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women… I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”
And while Phoebe Waller-Bridge is making sure Bond treats women properly, she’s also making sure the characters of the female roles are multidimensional and feel “like real people” as well. She added, “I just want to make sure that when they get those pages through, that Lashana, Léa and Ana open them and go, ‘I can’t wait to do that.’ As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I’m giving that to an actress.”
There you have it, what an icon. Shockingly, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is only the second woman in history to nab a screenplay credit for a film in the bond franchise. The first was Johanna Hardwood, who worked on Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Ultimately, we can’t wait to see these bad-ass women slaying in the upcoming Bond film due to hit our screens in April next year.
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