“James Bond must remain faithful to the character imagined by Ian Fleming”

For almost thirty years, Debbie McWilliams chose the faces of James Bond. Invited to the Karlovy Vary Festival, the one who notably recruited Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig affirms that 007 must remain faithful to the original hero.

After overseeing the casting of the last fourteen James Bond films, Debbie McWilliams has lost none of her convictions.

Guest of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the former casting director of the saga was asked about the identity of the next 007. Her answer was unequivocal (via Variety). Asked if James Bond could be played by a woman or a person of color, she responded bluntly:

“No ! Not in my opinion! Ian Fleming imagined a character, and it is this character that must remain. That’s what I think. Others may have a different opinion, but this is mine…“

If Debbie McWilliams is no longer involved in the franchise since her departure before the acquisition of Bond by Amazon MGM Studios, she continues to follow its evolution carefully. The next film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, while the casting is now in the hands of Nina Gold. A change of direction which questions him:

“Things are going to change dramatically, that’s all I can say… And I’m not even sure I’ll pay my way to see it!”

The former casting director also returned to the qualities she was looking for in the 007 performer. According to her, charm was not enough:

“In his job description, there is a license to kill. So you have to believe that he is capable of picking up a gun and shooting you. He must exude some form of menace…”

She also recognizes that Pierce Brosnan played a Bond who was more elegant than dangerous. “I’m not sure Pierce really had that menace. On the other hand, he represented a very attractive, very sophisticated Bond. Daniel Craighe completely changed this perception. He was a lot tougher.”

Debbie McWilliams also returned to the long process which led to the choice of Daniel Craig for Casino Royale. At the time, the goal was to tell the story of Bond’s beginnings. “We met a lot of young actors. I traveled around Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. I already knew them very well Daniel Craigbut no one seemed really interested in him. Then Layer Cake came out and Barbara Broccoli said to me: “I think we should meet him.” He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, but he ended up accepting.”

Casting Eva Green proved just as complicated. Martin Campbell, director of Casino Royalewas not convinced by the French actress: “He said: ‘Is that a model?’ I replied: ‘No, she’s a real actress!’ His first try was so stressful that I begged everyone to give him a second chance. This time, we took the time to prepare her, to rehearse with her… and she was exceptional.”

The most surprising revelation, however, came when she was asked if she had relied on Ian Fleming’s novels to choose the actors for Casino Royale. His response amused the room:

“Guess what? I have never read a single James Bond book in my entire life. I always based myself on the scenarios. And then, over time, the films no longer had much to do with the novels…“