Ben Whishaw says Bond ‘needs to be reinvented completely’ and calls Q’s sexuality ‘unsatisfying’
Ben Whishaw. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Ben Whishaw has said the James Bond franchise should be overhauled from the ground up, and criticised how Q’s sexuality is only referenced in passing.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Whishaw said: “The world has changed so much since the last Bond film so you have to find what is relevant about it.”
“I think it needs to be reinvented completely. But it’s not for me to say.”
Whishaw, 46, played Q opposite Daniel Craig across three films, first appearing as the gadget-master in Skyfall (2012), before returning in Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). He added: “I rarely think about Bond. That would be weird.”
Why Ben Whishaw found Q’s sexuality ‘unsatisfying’
Whishaw also said his Bond character felt “unsatisfying” because there is a passing mention of his sexuality, but it is not picked up on again.
The moment came in No Time to Die, when Q is seen preparing dinner and appears to reference a man he is expecting.
Whishaw has spoken about his mixed feelings on the scene before. In 2022, he said No Time to Die’s fleeting coming out scene was “unsatisfying”, after raising concerns about acknowledging Q’s sexuality and then moving on.
Away from 007, Whishaw is also known for playing Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal and voicing Paddington in the Paddington films. He came out as gay in 2013.
Who will be the next James Bond?
Whishaw also addressed the endless guessing game around who will replace Craig, saying: “People go crazy about it.”
He added: “It’s all deliberate hype. When you are working on it, it’s incredibly secretive, almost like being a spy. You only get the pages of the script that you are in. It’s a ploy to create suspense and glamour, but it’s kind of fun.”
The next Bond film is in development, with Steven Knight announced as writer, Denis Villeneuve set to direct, and Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing.
The process of choosing the next Bond started in May and is believed to be in its closing phase, with Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor among those reportedly in contention.
