Actress Léa Seydoux says the James Bond films will “never be the same” after Amazon bought the rights and gained creative control of the franchise. She played the psychologist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die in 2015 and 2021, when Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were in charge of 007.
Broccoli Family Steps Down
The daughter and stepson of Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who launched Bond in 1962, have now stepped down. Amazon will now decide which actor will take over the famous character from Daniel Craig.
Speaking to Elle UK, Seydoux said: “I really loved working with [former Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael [G Wilson]. It was one of the best experiences, a pure delight. And I don’t know, it will be different.”
Hope for the British Spirit
She added that the next film’s director Denis Villeneuve was a great choice but added: “Let’s see. I’m curious how they will reinvent it. But for me, it will never be the same because it was Barbara’s father who initiated the Bond movies. Now, I don’t know, it became American… I hope they will keep the British spirit.”
Seydoux also gave her thoughts on who should play the next Bond. She said: “He needs to be layered, you know? And that’s something that’s hard to find in young actors.” James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James have been among the bookmakers' favourites to fill Craig's shoes over the past few years.
New Films and Body Image
Seydoux has been at the Cannes Film Festival this summer where she launched two new films including Gentle Monster, which is released at the end of the month and saw her in nude scenes which she filmed soon after the birth of her second son.
She said: “They were difficult for me, of course, but it’s the body I had at the time I made those films. I think it’s important to see bodies that you can relate to… to make it more believable in a way. It was a few months after I gave birth, and I’m proud to show my body, that is, a real body.”
She has also learned to accept her own body and how she isn’t always the most efficient person on a film set. Seydoux explained: “I’m not someone who’s very efficient – but I think it’s good not to be. I don’t want to stick to one thing. I tried when I was younger to fit in more. Now I’m accepting this part of me, and I like it. There’s a great freedom in that. It’s something AI will never replicate.” The November issue of Elle UK is on sale from Thursday. Gentle Monster will be in select UK cinemas from October 30 and on Netflix from November 18.
