A NEW BREED OF BOND WOMEN IN “SKYFALL”

In the new James Bond 007 adventure “Skyfall,” two Bond women complicate matters for the British super spy. They are played by Naomie Harris (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest”) and French actress Berenice Marlohe.

             Daniel Craig who plays Bond says “We’ve just been blessed with a terrific cast. The casting of the girls: Naomie and Bérénice – finding two exceptionally beautiful women who are very serious actresses and who are intelligent and work hard. For me, it has been a joy.”

             Harris plays Eve, a MI6 field agent. “In recent years, the Bond films have featured two girls – one an exotic type and the other a home-grown type. Naomie manages to be both,” says director Sam Mendes. 

             Eve is a brilliant field agent who’s very independent, intelligent, witty, fun and courageous,” says Harris. “She’s not afraid to stand her ground with Bond, and I think that makes her so much more interesting. Playing Eve really allowed me to highlight the more adventurous side of my personality, which was a lot of fun.”

             The filmmakers were pleasantly surprised by the extra layers that Harris brought to the role of Eve. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli explain, “The character written was basically a field agent with a lot of sass, but it wasn’t until Naomie came in, that we really saw the potential that this character could be something entirely new in terms of a Bond film. She’s very resourceful, she gives Bond a really hard time, but you still manage to have a tremendous affection for her and there is a wonderful flirtatiousness between them. She can hold her own with Bond. We think that audiences are really going to relate to her. She’s an extraordinary actress.” 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

             Another key role in “Skyfall” is that of Severine, played by Bérénice Marlohe. “If I could have invented a Bond girl, it would be Bérénice,” laughs Mendes. “I wanted to find somebody with all of the classic components of a Bond girl: voluptuous, sexy, a woman and not a girl, mystery. Bérénice is half-Cambodian, half-French. She gives us that mystery. On top of all that, she happens to be a fantastic actress.”

             Marlohe explains that she was encouraged to make Severine unique. “I felt I could use my own personality and imagination to create my character’s style – I had the freedom, knowing that this kind of movie allowed me that space.”

             Writer Robert Wade describes the idea behind Severine, “She’s a survivor. Like many of the women in the Fleming books, she's toughened herself up because she knows what it is to have been abused at the hands of men.”

             Of her character, Marlohe says, “Severine is the link between Bond and his nemesis, Silva,” says Marlohe. “She’s a very mysterious woman. I wanted her to have a lot of substance.”

              “Skyfall” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.