Agent for change
Bond 25 I Phoebe Waller-Bridge tells us about giving 007 a twist…
She’s already written a kick-ass, complicated and relatable international spy in Killing Eve, so it’s hardly surprising she’s been tapped up to tinker with the script for Bond’s 25th still-untitled outing. As only the second female screenwriter in the 57-year-old franchise, Waller-Bridge joined Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) and director Cary Joji Fukunaga to revise an early draft by series regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. So what spin can we expect from Fleabag?
How has it been working on Bond and what changes are you going to make?
It’s been fantastic. I love the franchise and the character, and
I am really excited to be a part of it. I can’t say a huge amount, as you can imagine, but the movie is being headed by Barbara [Broccoli] who is a fantastic producer. In Daniel’s tenure as Bond, I think there have been some amazing female characters, so I just hope to continue that. I hope to bring whatever spice I can to it.
What was the first Bond movie that made an impact on you? And what do you like and dislike about Bond?
Growing up, I remember all of the Sean Connery Bonds being played. That was when Bond first came into focus for me, so I was a really big fan. But I think the actor I really focused in on was Daniel Craig; especially when Casino Royale first hit. It had a heart and there was a romance at the heart of it, and I loved that this character exists in the grey area of the world. He does terrible things, and yet he does it for the right reasons. Nowadays, you question whether patriotism is worth all this. Is it worth a life and is it worth a death? I think all those questions are really pertinent, but I guess Daniel has had the most effect on me. How did you get involved? Daniel and the producers talked and got in touch. He said some of the conversations they were having about the script – and it was in a really good place – but they felt like they wanted a fresh perspective on it in the final stages. And they wanted to discuss the dialogue. It’s amazing to go into something that you know is going to reach so many people. That is what is incredible about it, knowing that it has got such a history. Honestly, I can’t think about it too much when I’m doing press for other things because it’s like, “Whoa!” It’s incredibly exciting. What did you want to avoid when working on the script? The same thing I always want to do. It’s not so much avoiding stuff, I just want to feel like something feels real and honest and surprising and truthful. This experience is a proper collaboration. I am working with a script and writers who continue to work on it, but we are all floating ideas around together and creating these characters together. It’s about making sure there is an authenticity to all the characters. And for me, it’s always making sure that an actor has got something fun to do. From an actor’s point of view, I think playing something truthful or playing a twist or a surprise or playing something about a character that people don’t expect is what grounds me, so
I am making sure the actors have something they can hold onto.
ETA | 3 April / Bond 25 opEns nExT yEAr.