Lashana Lynch was determined to make her character in ‘No Time To Die’ a real woman with a history.
The 31-year-old actress portrays Nomi in the upcoming 25th James Bond film, and there has been much speculation that the character is a spy who takes on Bond’s agent number he leaves MI6.
Lashana admits her goal when she was cast was to ensure Nomi was different from the usual glamorous Bond girls by giving her real life issues to deal with.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: "I didn’t want someone who was slick. I wanted someone who was rough around the edges and who has a past and a history and has issues with her weight and maybe questions what’s going on with her boyfriend."
The ‘Captain Marvel’ star also spoke to writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge – who was requested to board the project by Daniel Craig to liven up the script after her TV hits ‘Fleabag’ and ‘Killing Eve’ – and director Cary Joji Fukunaga about adding one scene where her character talks about having her period.
She explained: "We had one conversation about her maybe being on her period in one scene, and maybe at the beginning of the scene – and I spoke to Cary about this – throwing her tampon in the thing."
Luckily, all of the film’s producers, writers, and its director were open to her ideas of redefining the heroine.
She added: "Everyone was really responsive to having her be what I wanted. You’re given a fresh perspective on a brand new black woman in the Bond world."
The rumours suggesting that Nomi will become 007 angered many Bond fans who are adamant no other agent should ever take on that identity in keeping with Ian Fleming’s novels, let alone a black woman.
Lashana has been untroubled by the negative reaction from some quarters, insisting it is "sad" and has "nothing" to do with her life.
She said: "It doesn’t dishearten me. It makes me feel quite sad for some people because their opinions, they’re not even from a mean place – they’re actually from a sad place.
"It’s not about me. People are reacting to an idea, which has nothing to do with my life."
The ‘Bulletproof’ star also revealed that she occasionally sends very polite messages to the trolls who contact her on social media something which prompts an unusual reaction from them.
She added: "They’ve been like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much!’ But it’s an interesting test because it reminds them that they definitely wouldn’t say that to someone’s face."
Lashana Lynch reveals ambition for 007 character
