Lashana Lynch set to make history as first Black female 007

After months of speculation, Harper’s Bazaar has confirmed that No Time To Die actor Lashana Lynch will be inheriting the title of sophisticated MI6 agent 007 from James Bond.

Lynch’s latest Bazaar interview laid long-standing rumours about a female 007 to rest after confirming the same in an issue that features her as one of its ‘Women of the Year’. The 32-year-old, who will be seen as Nomi in the upcoming Bond film, also detailed her experience of dealing with an onslaught of abuse when rumours of a Black female as the next 007 first started doing the rounds in April of 2019.

Talking about how she was forced to delete social media apps and meditate during the time, Lynch shared that she “comforted herself with the knowledge that the aggressive comments were ultimately not personal.”

 

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In my ballet lessons, all the girls were white and blonde and, with my cainrows and beads with the foil shining at the tip, I stretched my neck to stand as tall as I was taught to at home. The old, white teacher never gave me the attention everyone else received, which I found odd; even at that age. I knew my worth, because it was instilled in me. But this woman was blind to it. Having good posture in ballet class meant erasing my big backside, which is impossible. She never believed I could stand tall, because to her my backside was in the way of becoming great. The teacher gave up on me. And as soon as I felt that, I told my parents I won’t be going back to the place that didn’t like my backside. Around the same time, I’d found myself spending way too much time sitting in my parents friends bathroom. She had all the Black magazines in there with Black women on the cover. Piece by piece, my backside, my height, my skin, my hair, it all began to make sense. After being neglected in one white space, so many pennies dropped in that bathroom, just by seeing someone who looked like me on the cover. And now, I guess all of those pennies match the amount of pixels it took to present this image to you today. Thank you, @bazaaruk, for allowing me to chose my friend, @yrsadaleyward to interview me and write this beautiful article. Two British Jamaicans collaborating on this was the best thing ever! I’m so proud to be on the front cover of Harper’s Bazaar’s Women of the Year December issue, so that a little me can see it in a shop, on a coffee table, or even a bathroom to give them what I needed in that moment years ago. Here’s to you, little Queen.

A post shared by Lashana Lynch (@lashanalynch) on Nov 4, 2020 at 4:35am PST

“A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for,” she said, talking about how she wanted her character Nomi to be like. “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,” shared the new bond Lynch.

“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.”

Nomi is an entirely new character in the franchise, while Daniel Craig will be seen as James Bond for the fifth and final time. No Time To Die also features Rami Malek as Safin, Ana de Armas as Paloma, and Lea Seydoux and Christoph Waltz who are reprising their roles from Spectre.