Hannah Waddingham has given her opinion on the long-running debate about whether a woman should take on the role of James Bond. The Ted Lasso star shut down the idea with a ”God no.”
Hannah Waddingham explains her view on a female James Bond
Speaking at a special screening of her new Prime Video series Ride or Die, Hannah Waddingham explained why the prospect of playing James Bond leaves her cold. “No! God no! No, this is my version of 007. A woman doesn’t need to play James Bond. We’ve got other things to do,” Waddingham said.
For Waddingham, genuine complexity matters more than simply inheriting a famous codename. She also discussed her attraction to playing powerful women, explaining that her focus is always on internal truth rather than surface-level strength.
“It’s their truth, it’s who they are in the quiet, that’s what gets me first,” she said. The actor expanded on this, noting that her “interest is piqued by who they are when they’re alone, and the foibles and the fears and the aspirations they have when they’re alone” (via People).
Waddingham’s comments are made as the official casting process for the next James Bond gathers pace. Producers remain tight-lipped, but the search is actively underway to find a new leading man following Daniel Craig’s sign-off after No Time to Die in 2021. That film itself featured a female 00 agent, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch.
Rather than campaign for the central role, Waddingham is carving out her own version of a lethal operative. In Ride or Die, which premieres on Prime Video on July 15, she plays Judith Burton, an assassin juggling a double life that spirals when her best friend is dragged into it.
The traditional Bond girl archetype—a term some modern actors have reportedly pushed to rebrand as Bond woman—remains embedded in the series’ DNA.
