Ben Whishaw revealed how he felt about the subtle confirmation of his character Q’s sexuality in No Time To Die.
In Daniel Craig’s final film as the iconic Bond, fan favourite Q (Ben Whishaw) returns to assist the former spy on his latest mission.
Whishaw, who is gay, first played Q (standing for Quartermaster) in 2012’s Skyfall after the beloved character was absent for a few of the franchise’s movies.
In No Time To Die, Q’s sexuality appears to finally be confirmed after years of speculation from fans.
During a scene at Q’s home, Bond and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) show up to ask for help in meeting Ernst Stavro Blofeld who is in prison.
Q is flustered by their arrival as he is in the middle of preparing a meal for his date, who is a man.
“He’ll be here in 20 minutes,” he tells Bond and Moneypenny as he explains why he can’t help them at that moment.
Although there is no information beyond this, it appears to at a minimum show that Q is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The James Bond films have previously come under fire for a lack of diversity, with Skyfall’s producer Barbara Broccoli previously claiming that the studio wanted a scene hinting at Bond being interested in men removed.
During a profile with Tom Lamont for The Guardian, the journalist explained to Whishaw that the quiet confirmation of Q’s sexuality felt like a “creative decision taken grudgingly or embarrassedly.”
Whishaw responded: “I suppose I don’t feel it was forced upon the studio. That was not my impression of how this came about. I think it came from a good place.”
After thinking for a moment, he added that he did have similar concerns when he first heard the idea in a meeting with Broccoli years earlier.
“And I think I remember feeling something like what you’ve just described,” he continued. “I think I thought, ‘Are we doing this, and then doing nothing with it?’ I remember, perhaps, feeling that was unsatisfying.
“For whatever reason, I didn’t pick it apart with anybody on the film. Maybe on another kind of project I would have done? But it’s a very big machine. I thought a lot about whether I should question it. Finally I didn’t. I accepted this was what was written. And I said the lines. And it is what it is.”
You can watch the trailer for No Time To Die below or by clicking here.
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