Watching the development of the James Bond movies throughout the 60-year history that made them, certain threads have developed over time. Evolving through various fronts to keep the franchise on the forefront of sociopolitical culture, enemy and ally alike have changed to keep 007 current.
One of the major fields that’s seen some of the largest strides towards modernity has been the development of female characters and how they’re treated in Commander Bond’s world. This is something that franchise vet Colin Salmon feels marked the Pierce Brosnan years of Bond rather well, as he believes that the women only became more empowered as his four-movie run went on. Describing that phenomenon for himself, Salmon explained his feelings to the Spyhards Podcast in his recent interview, as follows:
What I saw through Pierce’s reign was that the women around him just got stronger and stronger and stronger. Michelle Yeoh was in Tomorrow Never Dies, and she was as action as he was. Obviously Judi coming in for Goldeneye. … So quietly that happened, and Pierce was really open minded, generous, excellent actor. Unbelievably good.
While there have been many Bond Women who were 007’s equal throughout the decades, progress did seem to hit the most throughout the Brosnan run. Right out of the gate in Goldeneye, Dame Judi Dench’s casting as M saw her variant of Ian Fleming’s spymaster dressing down Commander Bond as if he were a rebellious schoolboy.
That foundation paved the way for some iconic female leads on both sides of the moral compass in the next three films, which saw Colin Salmon become a part of the Bond family. In addition to Michelle Yeoh’s commanding turn as Colonel Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies, we also saw another agent that challenged James throughout their mission thanks to Halle Berry’s casting as Jinx in Die Another Day.
Even villains like Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) and Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) each got to play a part in deconstructing the James Bond mystique. Continuing to praise his former co-star, Colin Salmon had the following remarks to add:
Sometimes when you’re cursed with looks like his, people don’t see what’s going on. But he’s a consummate, fantastic actor. Like I said, his generosity was key as well. It just created this incredible climate of creativity around, and again Barbara loved him, as did Michael. It was great fun.
Pierce Brosnan’s progressive streak certainly didn’t end in encouraging the further development of his female co-stars. When his own tenure in the role came to an end, the actor championed Colin Salmon’s candidacy, both leading up to the start of the Daniel Craig run of 007 films and throughout its own march of progress. One could even say that by time Lashana Lynch’s Nomi was named the new 007 in No Time To Die, it was the union of both sentiments, ultimately breaking down yet another barrier of entry.
The past couple of years have seen fans wondering if actors of various ethnicities and sexual orientations will be considered as the 7th face of the James Bond franchise. There’s even the occasional talk of whether or not James Bond should become female, and all of these discussions have undoubtedly come thanks to Pierce Brosnan’s era opening those doors.
As we begin to look towards who might become the next Bond, one thing that’s certain is the pool for the new 007 is greater than ever. Along with that comes greater potential for the companions, female or otherwise, that team up with everyone’s favorite "corrupt Western agent" to prevent global chaos. Let’s hope that whatever happens next, another role like Colin Salmon’s Charles Robinson pops up to keep pushing things forward; and may it be filled by an actor as knowledgeable and versatile as him.
