Helen Mirren says she’s too old to take on the iconic role of James Bond. And not to argue with a Dame or anything—but we’re pretty sure she could play any role at all, any time she wanted.
Apparently, Dame Helen Mirren thinks she is “too old” to take over as the next James Bond.
Now, not to pick an argument with the great Dame herself, but she is extremely incorrect on that point. In fact, she’d have made a positively terrific Bond, at any age. And that includes right now, when she’s 72.
This all came up because former Bond girl Halle Berry expressed doubt to Entertainment Tonight about the idea that Bond could ever be female. She called Ian Fleming’s stories “steeped in history” and, as such she “didn’t think you can change Bond to a woman.” Instead, suggested creating a new female character, presumably with Bond-like characteristics, to fill a similar space. Afterward, Mirren was asked about the possibility of a female Bond while on a panel in Cannes. (She’s spoken about this issue at some length before. So it’s not that weird that the press followed up with her about it.)
More specifically, she was asked about the prospect of playing Bond herself. Sadly, Mirren responded that her window to be 007 had closed.
"“I’m too old. In my youth, that would have been great, of course. But that time was different; we could never even have imagined a woman playing that role.”"
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the gender of Ian Fleming’s famous spy. Current Bond Daniel Craig is on what is purportedly his last 007 film. (Maybe. He seems to keep changing his mind on this score.) Various actresses—including Gillian Anderson and Cara Delevingne—have expressed interest in playing Bond. And discussion around this issue has only been heightened by the BBC’s decision to cast a female Doctor on Doctor Who, genderswapping another longtime traditionally male role.
But if we’re honest, the entire “recasting” of Bond is kind of ridiculous. It’s basically Doctor Who, just without the built-in explanation of “regeneration” to explain why the lead actor changes every few years. As a result, the films seem deeply unconcerned with continuity in general. But if it’s a real issue, just officially declare that “James Bond” is a codename one takes on with the job, much like the way we got a new “M” in Spectre. Boom; problem solved. And then literally anyone could play Bond for the rest of time.
Anyone like, say, Helen Mirren, who would be incredible in the part, no matter the age at which she tackled the role. And here are three reasons why:
She has the range
Helen Mirren can play anything. Anything. To be fair, it’s not like the James Bond films generally represent master classes of acting. But they have featured a variety of great performers in the role, including Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, and current 007 Daniel Craig. But Mirren’s involvement would boost the franchise to a whole different level, in terms of acting pedigree.
Mirren has an Oscar, a Tony, several Emmys and multiple BAFTAs at home. She won tons of critical accolades and a boatload of awards for playing Queen Elizabeth II in two different stories in two different mediums—film The Queen and stage play The Audience. She played a brilliant, self-destructive British detective (Prime Suspect), the literal manifestation of Death (Collateral Beauty), a genderbent version of Shakespeare’s Prospero (The Tempest) and even had a bit part in the latest Fast and the Furious movie.
Clearly, there is nothing this woman can’t do.
She has the skills
It needs saying: Just because Mirren is an older actress? That doesn’t mean that her Bond would lose any of her 007 action chops.
Don’t believe me? This scene could pretty much stand in shot-for-shot in any recent Bond movie.
That clip comes from Red 2, an action comedy sequel about a team of retired assassins. Yes, the movies themselves are silly fluff, but the action sequences are pretty great. And Mirren is amazing in them. Need more evidence? Watch Mirren in Bond-worthy fancy dress getting rid of a body after a hit. Or beating up someone trying to kill her in an interrogation room.
Sure, maybe Mirren’s not going to be jumping off a building or racing across the roof of a moving train anytime soon. But you know what? That’s okay. There’s nothing that says Bond can’t be into a more cerebral kind of spycraft. That’s what Q and all those gadgets are for anyway, right?
(Fun fact: Mirren is a noted driving enthusiast who was upset when her Fast 8 role didn’t put her behind the wheel. Someone give this woman a car chase!)
She has the attitude
Not that this is a surprise, exactly, but Helen Mirren is a complete badass. An amazing actress, strident feminist, and generally awesome person (she even rides the subway like the rest of us!), Mirren is a role model in virtually every way. It’s hard to imagine a woman who would make a better Bond. Or one who would be more outspoken about why gender-switching the casting of such an iconic role matters. She gets it, in a way that few actresses do.
In an October 2016 interview with Variety, Mirren even shut herself down when she momentarily doubted whether Bond could be female.
"I think a woman could play, and has and should played, a similar character. But I think — Hm, I’m wading into murky waters here, but I wonder if the iconic-ness of James Bond… Maybe I’m wrong. I played Prospera in “The Tempest,” much to the hilarity of certain older actors who found it hysterically funny. I don’t want to find myself in the position of those geriatrics, saying women can’t play men’s roles. Let’s put it this way: There are no rules about anything. Anything is possible."
The question of whether those behind the James Bond franchise would ever cast a woman to play 007 remains up in the air. But the question of whether Mirren could make a credible—even, epic —pick to play the famous 007 seems to have an obvious answer. Of course.
Next: Gal Gadot continues to prove that she really is Wonder Woman
The next Bond film—the 25th installment in the franchise—remains untitled. It’s due in theaters in November of 2019.