A British actor tipped to be the first Asian James Bond has said there shouldn’t be “pressure to change the ethnicity” of 007.
Henry Golding, 38, said it was a “privilege” to be in the running to take the leading role in the British spy franchise as Amazon searches for Daniel Craig’s successor.
Discussing whether an actor’s ethnicity was an important factor for the part, the Crazy Rich Asians star told Radio Times: “I don’t think there should be a pressure to change the ethnicity of a character like Bond.
“I think sometimes it is good to pay justice to the source material, and how Ian Fleming saw this idea of Bond.”
He added that “there’s plenty more characters in that universe to play and explore” before suggesting he could be 008, in reference to a “lucky Chinese number”.
Asked if he would take the part of the British spy and become the first Asian Bond, he said: “Sign me up.”
Golding, who also starred in Guy Ritchie’s gangster film The Gentlemen, added: “Obviously, it’s a privilege to be in any conversation for a property like that.
“Whatever happens, I’m excited as a big fan of that series, to see how they kind of expand it.”
It comes after Amazon’s takeover of the beloved spy franchise, based on Ian Fleming’s novels, sparked speculation that the next 007 could be an American.
Speaking to The Telegraph in March, former Bond Pierce Brosnan said it was a “given” that Craig’s successor should be British after long-time custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson handed creative control to the US firm.
After more than 30 years at the helm, the half-siblings stepped back to allow Amazon MGM to steer the ship, something the GoldenEye star said he “lamented,” adding that it was “coming for some time”.
Brosnan, who played Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002, said “no one really knows” what will happen to 007 under Amazon’s control.
Rumours about casting have been in overdrive since Craig’s final foray in the franchise in 2021, when No Time To Die was released.
Although Broccoli and Wilson insisted that the search for the seventh screen Bond hadn’t started, reports last year suggested that the part had been offered to Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
However, production insiders later told the BBC there was “no truth in the rumours” and Taylor-Johnson’s film bombed at the box office.
Golding has previously expressed enthusiasm for the part, telling Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show: “If you’re a male movie star, it is literally the most iconic role possible.
“You’d be an absolute idiot not to sort of think and aspire for a role like that. I mean, who knows?”
The British-Malaysian actor is currently starring in the second series of Nine Perfect Strangers, alongside Nicole Kidman and Bobby Cannavale.
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