How Charlize Theron Feels About The Idea Of Playing James Bond

Theron as Cipher in The Fate of the Furious

It's an interesting time in Hollywood right now. The past few years saw plenty of conversations around inclusion and representation in entertainment. There have been calls for more diversity onscreen regarding gender, sexual orientation, and race. Those conversations seem to be paying off, as Doctor Who just welcomed its first female Time Lord, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is becoming a much more female-oriented shared universe. There is another franchise that has been involved in the subject of inclusion: James Bond. With Daniel Craig departing the role after his next film, many have been calling for a person of color or female to take over 007. Charlize Theron's name has been thrown around quite a bit, and she's now responded to those rumors, saying:

You know, I don't have a feeling about it one way or the other. I love the idea that people are thinking outside the box. And I know for a long time people were talking about Idris Elba for it. And it's just nice to see people now thinking outside of [these] confined ideas of what we think a character can be. I'm really all for that. I think it's great that we are developing more characters within that genre for females, that they can take ownership. So it's a really nice thing for people to say. I'm very old, though. I would be a very old James Bond.

While Charlize Theron seems flattered that fans are hoping she'll get a license to kill, it doesn't appear like the Academy Award winner is taking it all too seriously. In addition to having to break ground as the first female Bond, Theron seems to think that she's imply too old to join MI6 in a future sequel.

Charlize Theron's comments to Yahoo may be a head scratcher for hardcore James Bond fans, as she's hardly too old to play the 007. Theron is currently 42 years old, which is still quite young all things considered. Current James Bond Daniel Craig is playing the role at age 49, and he'll likely hit the big 5-0 before he hangs up his tux for the final time. If Craig isn't too old, then Theron definitely isn't.

Historically, James Bond actors have played the role till much older than 42 years old. Sean Connery played Bond until he was 53 and the late Roger Moore continued until he was a whopping 57 years old. Daniel Craig's Bond was preceded by Pierce Brosnan, who was 49 by the time Die Another Day hit theaters. And with Charlize Theron shown kicking serious ass in movies like Atomic Blonde, The Fate of the Furious, and Mad Max, she certainly seems to be a prime choice to play a female bond. That is, if a female bond ever actually happens.

CinemaBlend will be sure to update you on all things Bond. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.