'We got rid of the male gaze,' says No Time To Die's returning Bond girl, Léa Seydoux
Daniel Craig's last movie as James Bond, No Time To Die, is out in cinemas. While NTTD concludes the adventures of the Daniel Craig version of the 007 agent, it also wraps up the love story between Bond and Dr Madeleine Swann, who's played by Léa Seydoux.
Dr Swann is the first ever Bond girl to return in a second 007 movie, making her a historic character for the 60-year-old franchise.
Yahoo Life SEA had a little chat with Léa about the significance of her groundbreaking role and what it means for women in the Bond movies. The 36-year-old French actress told us how it's great for female characters in 007 movies to be portrayed as "real women" and not just subjects of the male gaze, and what Bond and Swann deal with as a couple in NTTD.
Dr Madeleine Swann is the only Bond girl to get a second movie. What makes her so special?
It's the first time that we see a woman in a Bond film that is just like a real woman – a real woman you can relate to. She has depth and vulnerability, which is very new for a James Bond female character, because they used to be a bit objectified and maybe idealised. This time, she's not seen through a man's perspective. We got rid of the male gaze. She has become just as interesting as other leads in the film, and I hope that people will connect to her emotionally.
No Time To Die has a second female main character – the new 007 agent, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch. What do you think about having two strong female characters in one Bond movie?
It's great! They're not sexualized, you know, or objectified. Lashana could have been a man in the story. And she's a woman and it doesn't really change. The fact that she's a woman doesn't really matter. I think that's important. She's an interesting character. No matter if she's a woman or a man, she's just an agent and a strong character. She has a very strong personality and she's very charismatic. Lashana and my character are very different. She's a 007 agent, but she's also a character with consistency. You have access to her emotions, and she's not only the good-looking girl in a bathing suit.
Can you tell us what Bond and Swann deal with between themselves in No Time To Die?
They will go through a lot of things. They won't have an easy journey together. It won't be very simple, because she will reveal a secret to James Bond, and it will make things more complicated, but they also understand each other, because they've shared the same childhood, in a way. They're both damaged and they don't really trust people. And when they meet, there will be sparks.
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