James Bond actor Ben Whishaw has spoken out about the decision to include a subtle reference to his character’s sexuality in the latest instalment of the franchise.
Ben has played gadgets expert Q in the last three James Bond film, with No Time To Die including a fresh nod to the character’s personal life.
In one scene, 007 and Moneypenny arrive at Q’s house to ask for his help, where he explains that he’s cooking for a date and that “he’ll be here in 20 minutes”.
During an interview with The Guardian, Ben – who is gay – was asked for his thoughts on the “mixed” reaction to the scene, admitting that aside from a text from It’s A Sin creator Russell T Davies he’d not personally seen any feedback, positive or negative.
“I’m very happy to admit maybe some things were not great about that decision,” he explained.
While Ben insisted the one-off line about Q’s date wasn’t something the studio was “forced” into, adding that it “came from a good place”, he did admit he felt “unsatisfied” that more wasn’t done with it.
“I think I thought, ‘Are we doing this, and then doing nothing with it?’,” he revealed. “I remember, perhaps, feeling that was unsatisfying.
“For whatever reason, I didn’t pick it apart with anybody on the film. Maybe on another kind of project I would have done? But it’s a very big machine. I thought a lot about whether I should question it. Finally I didn’t. I accepted this was what was written. And I said the lines. And it is what it is.”
No Time To Die marked Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, after 15 years at the helm of the franchise.
Several actors have been tipped to replace him, with Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, Richard Madden, Idris Elba and George McKay’s names all being mentioned in the press.