and it would be really thrilling
if it didn't matter
about someone's sexuality
to take on a role like this.
-Hi Ben, how are you?
-Hey Will, I'm good, how are you?
-Very well, thank you.
Well, thank you so much for taking the time
to speak to Attitude today about the release of
'No Time To Die'.
Tell me, obviously, you know,
this film has been a long time coming now with so many
pandemic related delays.
How does it feel to be,
you know, right on the precipice
of it being released to the world finally?
-It feels really good.
I still can't quite believe it's going to happen,
but it would take something
pretty extraordinary to stop it now, I guess.
No, I'm thrilled that people are going to see it.
And I'm really thrilled that people are going to be able
to see in a cinema.
-Now, obviously, you know, as you'd expect
from a spy film, plot details being kept tightly under wrap.
But what can you tell us about
where Q finds himself during this latest outing?
And what's in store for this
what's your third Bond film now?
-I think that what I like is that it's quite
a personal film for Bond
and that it resolves
several strands that have been
running from previous Daniel Craig Bond films
and ties them all together.
I hope in a really
satisfying way. And part of that is Q's relationship
with Bond and, oh, I don't want to say too much more.
-And of course, you know, the Daniel Craig era
really seems to have been characterised
by bringing this franchise into the 21st century.
And, you know, how
this old school spy has been adapting to
the changing world around him.
And obviously, you're sort of more youthful take on
Q has been a part of that.
And obviously in 'No Time To Die',
we have Lashana Lynch, the,
sort of, first black female double 0 agent.
So, how important is it, sort of, to you as an actor involved
in a franchise like this,
that it does reflect the world around us as it is today?
-I think is really important, because whilst there,
these films are essentially fantastical, I mean, you know,
you don't go to a Bond film for real life.
It's, you know, it's spectacle and it's
adrenaline and it's escapism, really, I think.
I do at the same time, believe that there has to be some,
it has to be connected to
the real world somehow or other.
And I think that the reason
it’s probably survived
this long is because it has
always changed with the time and all of the films,
if you look back at them do,
which I think is part of the joy of it
do reflect the period that they were made in.
in the look and the fashion,
but also in the politics to some degree.
And I think that's definitely true of this one.
And I feel proud of that,
and I am excited to see going forward
what will happen next, how it will evolve
given what's happened
in the world in the two years since we made this one.
I think it's very exciting and it's the only way that it will,
it will survive, I think, yeah.
-Well, you know, at Attitude we're an LGBTQ publication and,
you know, this is obviously
Daniel Craig's last outing as Bond after a very successful
tenure in the role.
And naturally, you know, there's been lots of discussion,
speculation about
who should be taking
on that role next or possibly even how the character of Bond
can change or evolve, you know, in the coming years.
You know, given the ongoing issues that, you know,
we have about, sort of, out gay actors securing sort of high
profile straight action hero roles, sort of,
how would, you know,
would you like to see an out gay British actor
be, sort of, taking on the 007 mantle in the future?
You know, what that might say, you know, to the wider industry?
-God, can you imagine?
I mean, it would be quite an extraordinary thing.
Of course I would like to see that.
I think that, I really believe that we should be
working towards a world where
anyone can play anything,
and it would be really thrilling
if it didn't matter
about someone's sexuality
to take on a role like this.
I think that would be
real progress. But we'll see, we'll see where we're at.
I'm amazed by how much has changed
just in the last five or six years, so we'll see.
-Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, is there anyone that would be of that
ilk that might be, you know, top of your list for the part
who you potentially would want to see in that role?
-There aren't many
out gay British actors.
It's quite hard to say, isn't it? -Perhaps
a Luke Evans or a Jonathan Bailey or someone of that ilk?
You know some of that's- -Yeah.
I mean, they're both wonderful
and they're both wonderful actors.
I wonder, you know, I think it's not
only, God it's all so hard to talk about this stuff.
They're both actors who
who it seems would be really capable
of doing it and would be ideal casting. And
it would be thrilling to see either of them do it.
I wonder if either of them would want to.
I mean, because it's not just, like, the demands of the role.
It's, like, the demands of being Bond in the world
and what it symbolises and how it would change your life.
-Is it a role that you
would have taken yourself, you know, years ago,
had the opportunity presented itself?
-No, I don't think it would,
I obviously, I think it was obvious to me
that I am not Bond material and I'm happily not
so, like, I'm happy as Q.
-I don't know about that, you got all the gadgets,
you've got all the skills.
-Oh, you're very sweet.
But I don't think I am. And I think that that's cool.
You know, I think it's important
that there are a range of
masculine or male identities,
we don't all have to be
the Bond-type, you know.
Having said that, maybe Bond is becoming
more receptive now to being defined in a
different way. I don't know.
I don't know how far you can take it away from its,
I don't know, how far you can stretch it from its original
identity as the kind of
womanising character that he is and everything else that he is.
Anyway, it would be, we'll see, we'll see.
I don't know. -Absolutely, well, you know, we're very much
looking forward to seeing,
you know, everything that pans out in
'No Time To Die',
and, of course, seeing you, Ben Whishaw, reprising a role as Q.
Thank you so much again for your time today.
-My pleasure. Really nice to talk to you. Thank you.