Monica Bellucci was "confused" when she was asked to star in ‘Spectre’.
The 51-year-old actress thinks it is "wonderful" that director Sam Mendes wanted to cast a "mature" woman in the movie and thinks her inclusion opposite Daniel Craig as 007 made the movie "very modern".
She said: "When I first met Sam Mendes, I was a bit confused and said to him, ‘I’m 50 years old. What am I going to do at 50 in a Bond film?’
"Sam explained they wanted a mature woman on the screen that she didn’t have to look 40 or 35, she actually had to look like she was 50 and I thought it was wonderful…
"This is the first time James Bond has held a woman who is older than him in his arms and that means it’s a very modern concept.
"It proves that femininity is still there even though a woman becomes older."
Monica thinks Daniel is a "wonderful" James Bond because he shows so many sides to the character.
She explained: "He is a wonderful James Bond. As an actor, he is so eclectic because he has this capacity to be tender and to be delicate and at the same time, very strong and violent.
"James Bond is a female fantasy because he’s courageous, he’s a gentleman and he can kill for you.
"But Daniel has made Bond able to become more approachable in some ways, almost more human. He makes Bond something special."
Monica Bellucci’s Spectre confusion
