No Time to Die actor Lashana Lynch responds to backlash over her replacing Daniel Craig as 007, says she had to delete social media apps

Lashana Lynch, who will appear as an MI6 agent in No Time to Die, has reacted to the backlash that followed the news of her being revealed as the new 007.

Actor Lashana Lynch, who will appear in Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film as the first ever female 007, has reacted to the backlash that followed her casting. She said that she took special efforts to ensure that the character isn’t simply a token presence.

Lashana Lynch as Nomi, in a still from No Time to Die.

In an interview to Harper’s Bazaar, she said that before filming began, she met with co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was helping contribute to the female perspective in the film.

“A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for,” she said. “I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented. In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I’m presenting needs to be 100 per cent authentic.”

She said that after news broke that she’d be inheriting the 007 mantle, the backlash was so intense that she was forced to delete the social media apps on her phone. “I am one Black woman – if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse,” she said. “I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I’m a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary.”

No Time to Die is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and after being delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, has been slated for and April 2021 release. The film also stars Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek, Jeffrey Wright and others.

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