Britt Ekland, who starred opposite Roger Moore in The Man with the Golden Gun, weighs in on the evolving nature of the Bond Girl within the James Bond franchise. Assuming the role of 007’s personal secretary Mary Goodnight, The Man with the Golden Gun serves as the only cinematic appearance of Ekland’s character despite being a recurring figure in the original Ian Fleming novels. Rising to fame off the back of her appearance in 1971’s Get Carter, Ekland’s status as a rising sex symbol, along with her high-profile personal life, would eventually land her the role of a Bond Girl.
During a recent interview published by Metro, Ekland reflects on her time in the Bond franchise and how the Bond Girl trope has evolved in later years. Claiming that “they are Bond women today,” the actor admits that the working conditions in modern Bond films are a vast improvement for the franchise’s leading women. However, she also goes on state her belief that the films of her era were more fun than Bond’s modern outings. Check out her comments below:
There are no more Bond girls, they are Bond women today. They have it with the political correctness and the #MeToo, they have a much better time than we had. But I don’t think that the end product is as fun as ours were, because we were pretty and we had good bodies and we didn’t try to look sexy, we just were.
Today, everything is so, “Don’t do that because that will upset that side.” We didn’t have any of that. We just went out there, we were always in a bikini and all these people are fully dressed, very typical, but it was a job and we did it. So, I think today the Bond women have it – from a political correctness point of view – in a much better position. But I think we had more fun.
How The Bond Franchise Can Continue To Evolve Beyond Its Sexist Past
With 25 official films spanning a total of six decades, the James Bond franchise boasts a unique place in cinema history for both its longevity and continued popular appeal. With the hunt now on for Daniel Craig’s replacement as the new 007, evidence would suggest that there is still plenty of interest in seeing the series continue for decades more. With the fanbase currently busy championing their favorite James Bond casting choices, the world’s most famous secret agent likely has a bright future ahead of him.
However, as a character created in a very different era, not everything about the James Bond series has aged well, especially the films’ treatment of its female characters. Often depicted as little more than ornaments and disposable targets of sexual conquest, the Bond Girl trope has been one of the more troubling aspects of the franchise’s legacy for modern filmmakers to overcome. While the films made during the Craig era made a concerted effort to upend this questionable tradition, the franchise still has room to improve on its history of sexist representations.
From providing Bond with legitimate love interests like Vesper Lynd and Madeleine Swann, to teaming him with genuine equals such as Lashana Lynch’s Nomi and Ana de Armas’ Paloma, Craig’s films made an important step forward. Yet, for the series to continue thriving in the 21st century, it must seek to move on entirely from its misogynistic roots. Perhaps even returning to and reinventing the role of Mary Goodnight, one of Fleming’s recurring characters who given decidedly short shrift on the big screen, may be a way for the James Bond franchise to continue its growth.
Source: Metro
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
