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Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Next James Bond 'shouldn't be a woman' says 007 star
One iconic Bond girl is shaken rather than stirred by the idea of a female James Bond. Die Another Day Bond girl Halle Berry is shaken rather than stirred by the idea of a female James Bond. Berry made her feelings known on the subject as she arrived at the Cannes Film Festival this week, as she revealed whether she reckons a woman should be considered for the iconic 007 role. While serving on the jury for the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, the 58 year old actress addressed the ongoing discussion about replacing the fictional spy with a female lead in a future franchise. Weighing in on whether the iconic James Bond character should ever be played by a woman, she said: 'I don't know if 007 really should be a woman. In 2025, it's nice to say, 'Oh, she should be a woman.' But, I don't really know if I think that's the right thing to do." Berry previously played the character Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson in the 2002 film Die Another Day alongside Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The idea of a female 007 has been a hotly debated issue in Hollywood for nearly a decade. In 2017, Berry similarly dismissed Bond being played by a woman in favour of more original characters. "I don't know if Bond should be a woman," Berry said. "I mean, that series is steeped in history, you know, Ian Fleming's stories. I don't think you can change Bond to a woman." "We can create a new Bond character that's a woman, and give her a new name, based on that theory, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman," she added. Berry isn't the only former Bond girl who questioned the idea of gender-swapping the role over the years. In 2019, The Spy Who Loved Me actress Valerie Leon dismissed the idea when she argued that the character was always successful as a man. "He's a fantasy. So many men have wanted to be Bond and women have wanted to be with Bond. How can people fantasize about a woman as Bond? Men aren't going to go for a woman as a killer or an assassin," Leon said. In 2024, British actress Gemma Arterton, who starred in 2008's Quantum of Solace, said Hollywood should respect the tradition of the character and called out the absurdity of the idea. "Isn't a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?" she asked. "They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous." The most recent iteration of James Bond was played by British actor Daniel Craig in the 2021 film No Time to Die. Though Amazon MGM Studios recently made a deal to control the creative rights to the 007 character, there have been no announcements regarding the future of the franchise. However, both Ray Winstone and Pierce Brosnan have mooted the idea of a retired Bond becoming part of the franchise.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ex-Bond girl Halle Berry doesn't think making 007 a woman is 'the right thing to do'
Former "Die Another Day" Bond girl Halle Berry weighed in on whether the iconic James Bond character should ever be played by a woman. While serving on the jury for the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, the 58-year-old actress addressed the ongoing discussion about replacing the fictional spy with a woman in a future franchise. "I don't know if 007 really should be a woman," Berry responded. "In 2025, it's nice to say, 'Oh, she should be a woman.' But, I don't really know if I think that's the right thing to do." Berry previously played the character Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson in the 2002 film "Die Another Day" alongside Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. Former 'Bond' Girl Eva Green Thinks The New 007 'Should Remain A Man' Amid Calls For A Female Recasting The idea of a female James Bond has been a hot-button issue in Hollywood for nearly a decade. In 2017, Berry similarly dismissed Bond being played by a woman in favor of more original characters. Read On The Fox News App "I want [women] to be tough, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman," Berry said. "I mean, that series is steeped in history, you know, Ian Fleming's stories. I don't think you can change Bond to a woman." "We can create a new Bond character that's a woman, and give her a new name, based on that theory, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman," she added. Berry wasn't the only former Bond girl who questioned the idea of gender-swapping James Bond over the years. In 2019, "The Spy Who Loved Me" actress Valerie Leon blasted the idea, arguing that the character was always successful as a man. "He's a fantasy. So many men have wanted to be Bond and women have wanted to be with Bond. How can people fantasize about a woman as Bond? Men aren't going to go for a woman as a killer or an assassin," Leon said. In 2024, British actress Gemma Arterton, who starred in 2008's "Quantum of Solace," said Hollywood should respect the tradition of the character and called out the absurdity of the idea. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "Isn't a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?" she remarked. "They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous." The most recent iteration of James Bond was played by British actor Daniel Craig in the 2021 film "No Time to Die." Though Amazon MGM Studios recently made a deal to control the creative rights to the 007 character, there have been no announcements regarding the future of the article source: Ex-Bond girl Halle Berry doesn't think making 007 a woman is 'the right thing to do'
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Ex-Bond girl Halle Berry doesn't think making 007 a woman is 'the right thing to do'
Former "Die Another Day" Bond girl Halle Berry weighed in on whether the iconic James Bond character should ever be played by a woman. While serving on the jury for the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, the 58-year-old actress addressed the ongoing discussion about replacing the fictional spy with a woman in a future franchise. "I don't know if 007 really should be a woman," Berry responded. "In 2025, it's nice to say, 'Oh, she should be a woman.' But, I don't really know if I think that's the right thing to do." Berry previously played the character Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson in the 2002 film "Die Another Day" alongside Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The idea of a female James Bond has been a hot-button issue in Hollywood for nearly a decade. In 2017, Berry similarly dismissed Bond being played by a woman in favor of more original characters. "I want [women] to be tough, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman," Berry said. "I mean, that series is steeped in history, you know, Ian Fleming's stories. I don't think you can change Bond to a woman." "We can create a new Bond character that's a woman, and give her a new name, based on that theory, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman," she added. Berry wasn't the only former Bond girl who questioned the idea of gender-swapping James Bond over the years. In 2019, "The Spy Who Loved Me" actress Valerie Leon blasted the idea, arguing that the character was always successful as a man. "He's a fantasy. So many men have wanted to be Bond and women have wanted to be with Bond. How can people fantasize about a woman as Bond? Men aren't going to go for a woman as a killer or an assassin," Leon said. In 2024, British actress Gemma Arterton, who starred in 2008's "Quantum of Solace," said Hollywood should respect the tradition of the character and called out the absurdity of the idea. "Isn't a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?" she remarked. "They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous." The most recent iteration of James Bond was played by British actor Daniel Craig in the 2021 film "No Time to Die." Though Amazon MGM Studios recently made a deal to control the creative rights to the 007 character, there have been no announcements regarding the future of the franchise.
Tatler Asia
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
5 iconic hotels in film: Where architecture becomes the star
Above Looking up into the soaring atrium of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, where architecture evokes futuristic dystopias—a key visual setting for The Hunger Games and Loki (Photo: WikiCommons/Connors) Above Atlanta Marriott Marquis atrium – Striking futuristic architecture featured as the tributes' quarters in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Photo: WikiCommons/Slosh415) More recently, Marvel's Loki series transformed the same interiors into the Time Variance Authority's headquarters. That a 1985 building still convincingly represents a futuristic setting is a testament to Portman's vision: dynamic, expressive, and trend-resistant, his architecture continues to lend itself to stories set in worlds yet to come. See also: 7 iconic cantilever chairs that shaped modern furniture 2. St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel: Gothic Magic Made Manifest Above St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel: A Victorian Gothic Revival icon featured in "Harry Potter," renowned for its dramatic spires and ornate brickwork (Photo: WikiCommongs/LepoRello) Sir George Gilbert Scott's St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel is Gothic Revival at its most theatrical. Opened in 1873 as the Midland Grand Hotel, it remains a showstopper with its red-brick façade, whimsical spires and showstopping staircase—a Victorian triumph of engineering and artistry. It is no wonder that Harry Potter's filmmakers chose this building to stand in for King's Cross Station. Though not the real station, the hotel's richly detailed façade better captured the magical threshold between the mundane and the mystical. Its use on screen reshaped global perception: for millions, this has become the definitive visual for the gateway to Hogwarts. Don't miss: Embracing warm minimalism: Beyond austerity in interior design 3. Hotel Cala di Volpe: Mediterranean Poetry in Built Form Photo 1 of 3 Hotel Cala di Volpe waterfront, Sardinia – Iconic arched facades and lush gardens featured in James Bond's The Spy Who Loved Me (Photo: Marriott) Photo 2 of 3 Hotel Cala di Volpe exterior, Sardinia – Distinctive architecture and film history as seen in The Spy Who Loved Me (Photo: Marriott) Photo 3 of 3 Hotel Cala di Volpe entrance, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia – Famous for its Mediterranean architecture and as a filming location in The Spy Who Loved Me (Photo: Marriott) Designed in the 1960s by French architect Jacques Couëlle, Hotel Cala di Volpe is a vision of Mediterranean storytelling. Rather than pursue monumental luxury, Couëlle—a self-described sculptor of houses—created a dreamlike composition that evokes a timeworn Sardinian village. With flowing forms, soft arches and whitewashed walls that blend into the coastline, the hotel exemplifies what critics call 'discreet, sophisticated luxury.' Recent renovations have sensitively preserved its original spirit, allowing a new generation to experience its timeless elegance. The hotel starred in The Spy Who Loved Me, offering a more organic take on Bond's typical settings. Read more: Private islands and wealth: How 6 tech and business leaders built their secluded domains 4. Fontainebleau Miami Beach: Architecture as Social Theatre Above Aerial view of Fontainebleau Miami Beach – Legendary Miami hotel known for its curving design and film appearances, including Scarface and Goldfinger (Photo: Fontainebleau Miami Beach) Architect Morris Lapidus' 1954 masterpiece, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, is unapologetically theatrical. A defining work of Miami Modern (MiMo) style, it was conceived as a stage for glamour, play, and performance. From its iconic Staircase to Nowhere to the whimsical bow-tie motif in the marble floor, every detail was designed to delight. Lapidus called it an 'architecture of joy'—and his exuberant curves and expansive public spaces still capture the imagination. Above Fontainebleau Miami Beach poolside view – Iconic luxury hotel with modernist architecture, featured in movies like Goldfinger (Photo: Fontainebleau Miami Beach) Its cinematic credentials are as storied as the building itself. Goldfinger used the Fontainebleau's poolside for its opening scenes, instantly conjuring 1960s opulence. Decades later, Scarface captured Tony Montana amid the hotel's glossy, high-octane luxury. In both films, the Fontainebleau's flamboyance became a visual shorthand for excess, aspiration and danger. See also: Home tour: A tropical modernist Miami home with stunning art deco influences 5. Park Hyatt Tokyo: Isolation in Glass and Light Above New York Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo – Iconic skyline views and contemporary design, as seen in Lost in Translation (Photo: Park Hyatt Tokyo ) Currently closed for renovation, Kenzo Tange's Park Hyatt Tokyo remains a cinematic icon. Occupying the top fourteen floors of the Shinjuku Park Tower, the hotel offered a rarefied experience, physically and emotionally removed from the frenetic pace of the city below. Its restrained minimalism and panoramic views made it the ideal stage for emotional disconnection. In Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola transformed this architectural quietude into a powerful metaphor. The New York Bar's floor-to-ceiling windows created a space that felt simultaneously intimate and detached—a visual expression of the characters' shared sense of dislocation. Through architecture, the film distilled themes of connection and solitude into a single, unforgettable setting. NOW READ 5 female patrons who revolutionised modern architecture 7 distinctive mid-century modern hotels in Asia for design lovers Inside the world's most extraordinary art homes: 5 residences where architecture serves priceless collections Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools Best of Tatler Asia video highlights Featured videos from around Tatler Asia: Get exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the interviews we do, the events we attend, the shoots we produce, and the incredibly important people who are part of our community
The Herald Scotland
27-04-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Did hero's ski escape from Nazis inspire classic 007 scene?
The dramatic Second World War race to safety sounds straight from a spy Bond film - and may very well have inspired one. Decades before Roger Moore's 007 evaded enemy fire in a high-speed ski chase that thrilled film fans in The Spy Who Loved Me, Gail Halvorsen's father was living it for real. His downhill race for his life eventually led him to seek a route out of Norway to fight the Nazis alongside the Allies. Toralf Halversen escaped Norway on board the M/B Traust,a fishing boat which became part of the Shetland Bus mission (Image: Contributed) That meant hitching a ride on the Shetland Bus, a covert operation of small boats disguised as fishing vessels that operated under cover of darkness and in turbulent winter seas between Norway's west coast fjords and Shetland, 200 miles away. The boats, at first operated by Norwegian resistance fighters and later taken over by British command working with their Norwegian counterparts, played a crucial role in transporting special agents and arms across the North Sea. In the other direction, the small boats carried refugees and Allied soldiers to the shelter of the Shetland Islands. By the end of the war, around 200 covert crossings had been made, despite the threat of Nazi attack from above and below, challenging seas and brutal weather. To mark the Shetland Bus operation's remarkable efforts, a small convoy of historic Norwegian vessels which took part in wartime missions, will soon arrive in Lerwick as part of events to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Read more by Sandra Dick: Gail, who lives in Midlothian, plans to be there to pay personal tribute to the small boats that defied the Nazi threat to carry her father and other Norwegians to safety. Toralf was just 19 years old when he became one of the first Norwegian resistance fighters to escape Nazi-occupied Norway on an early version of the Shetland Bus. Before then, though, he had quit school to spend months camped in mountains with the Norwegian fighters as they carried out a series of operations against the occupying Nazi forces. Toralf Halverson went on to fly sea planes from Oban and Sullom Voe (Image: Contributed) He recalled the moment he realised Nazi troops had occupied Norway in his diaries. 'Like so many others I was awakened on the morning of April 9 by the noise of aeroplane engines,' he wrote. 'I did not know the planes were German JU-52. Neither did I know that the black cross on the fuselage was an iron cross, the symbol of the German Air Force.' With the war on the doorstep, he resolved to lend support to the country's emerging underground resistance movement. Had he been caught, he would likely have faced torture, prison or a Nazi concentration camp. Gail says her father's diaries tell how he set off with fellow students to hike miles in search of a Norwegian resistance group to join. 'From what we know, he led the others and was their spokesman,' she says. 'He probably lied about his age to join.' Read more by Sandra Dick: He was accepted into the newly formed 9th Infantry Regiment, putting his life on the line in operations intended disrupt the Nazi occupation. Some resistance tactics focused on sabotage of equipment and infrastructure. Others were more audacious operations including planting bombs and engaging Nazi forces. Their lightweight Madsen machines guns and Krag–Jørgensen bolt action rifles could barely match German howitzers and fast action machine guns - a key role of the Shetland Bus was to deliver better equipment to help their fight. Young as he was, Toralf was at the forefront of the resistance effort, including one dramatic episode when he had to flee on his skies with Nazis brandishing guns in pursuit – inspiration, perhaps, for James Bond creator Ian Fleming, who spent part of the war working on the Shetland Bus missions. Toralf's diary recorded the warning words from his Commanding Officer as he set off on a ski patrol intended to put German ski troops 'out of commission'. Toralf Halvorsen went on to fly sea planes from Scottish bases (Image: Richard Halvorsen) 'Remember the good old rule for soldiers,' he said. 'If you don't shoot, he will. If you don't stab, he will. Shoot first and stab first.' On the patrol's return, however, Toralf found the resistance camp deserted and the route blocked by a broken bridge. Toralf and his comrades faced days of trudging through snow covered mountains in search of shelter with the German threat all around. 'My father and another man from the resistance were chased and had to split up to try to improve their chances of getting away,' says Gail. 'He had three days of skiing with Germans following him. 'But he knew the terrain better than they did. 'Eventually he found a farmer's hut where he recovered from snow blindness because he'd had to leave his ski googles behind.' Toralf later made his way to Bergen where he'd heard small boats were quietly whisking people like him out of the country. 'He got on one very small fishing boat,' says Gayle. 'His 'job' on board was to lie at the front and look out for mines and rocks.' A memorial to the Shetland Bus operation sits outside Scalloway Museum (Image: Liberation Convoy) The treacherous journey on board MK Traust 2 took several days to reach Lerwick. Once there, he started a new phase in the war as an Allied fighter. In Elgin, meanwhile, another young man was also involved in the covert Shetland Bus operations. Jack Cowie was at the heart of Elgin's close community, an upstanding bank manager who, from the comfort of his office, saw young men of the town march to war. Elgin bank manager Jack Cowie became a Captain in the Gordon Highlanders and played a key role in the Shetland Bus convoys (Image: Graeme Jack) A troublesome heart murmur meant he could not join them on active service on the frontline. But he was not to be defeated in his quest to play his part. His organisational skills, knack for communicating and managing people took him to the heart of the Shetland Bus operation. British and displaced Norwegian military leaders knew resistance groups needed supplies of arms, equipment and people to support their efforts to sabotage German troops, prevent their access to food and whale oil for glycerine, and to gather intelligence. A sea route between Shetland and Norway would enable the delivery of secret agents but the risks were high: ten of the Shetland Bus boats were lost and 44 men died before US Navy submarine chasers arrived to support the effort. The toll may have been greater if not for the backroom efforts of men like Jack. From an undercover base in Aberdeen and in his role as Captain Cowie of the Gordon Highlanders he became the liaison officer for the Shetland Bus operation. It was so hush-hush that even his nearest and dearest knew little of what he was up to. Now, though, with the 80th anniversary of VE Day on the horizon, precious details of his secret role have emerged through his daughter Isabell Jack's faded memories. Pages from fake ration books handed to Allied agents and resistance fighters as part of the Shetland Bus mission (Image: Graeme Jack) Her recollections – although tantalisingly sparse – have offered his grandson, Graeme Jack, the chance to learn a little more of what made him the right man for a vital job. 'He was a reluctant hero,' says Graeme. 'He didn't want the attention on him. 'But those travelling in and out of Norway on these boats needed to be supported. That was his role. 'He used his organisational and people skills as part of this secret unit which had been set up to support the Shetland Bus.' Isabell, now in a nursing home and with dementia, has offered tiny snippets of detail, recalling her father mentioning the Shetland Bus operation but keeping its secrets close to his heart. 'It was a secret operation so not much was said to us as children,' she says. Propaganda fliers and posters aimed at Hitler and Quisling, the famous Norwegian political leader who collaborated with the Germans. (Image: Graeme Jack) 'Dad was well liked and had a nice manner about him, with a warm sense of humour, and integrity and I think this helped him in this role. 'He was proud of what he did, but he wasn't a man to make a fuss.' He returned to his bank job after the war, with a few items to show for his role: some Norwegian propaganda fliers and posters, and fake ration books thought to have been used by agents and Norwegian resistance. While for some of the young men brought from Norway to Shetland, such as Toralf, the war would take them to new frontiers. Norwegian resistance fighter Toralf Halvorsen retrained as a sea plane pilot (Image: Richard Halvorsen) From Shetland, he was recruited to a Norwegian training camp in Canada where he learned to fly seaplanes and later Short Sunderlands - flying boats. They took him back to Scotland; he flew from Oban and later Sullom Voe for surveillance and bombing raids on German U-Boats in the North Sea. It would be five years before he returned to Norway. The war also changed his career path – having yearned to become an architect, he instead went on to work in aviation, travelling the world with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Toralf Halvorsen pictured bottom row, fourth right (Image: Gail Halverson) He died, aged 59, when Gail was just 18. Years later she stood at the same spot at Sullom Voe where a grainy photograph captured her father looking towards the sea planes as they prepared for their dangerous missions. 'I thought 'here was a man of 22 years old, piloting a large plane with a crew of 11, doing 13 hour stints in freezing cold. 'He was responsible for all those lives and still just 22,' says Gail, who will be in Lerwick to mark the Norwegian connection during VE Day commemorative events. 'It must have been terrifying every time he went out to fly. 'You realise what they went through,' she adds. 'They were all heroes in those days'. The Liberation Convoy to mark Norway's role in the Shetland Bus and wartime naval operations will arrive in Lerwick on May 6. Find out more about the Liberation Convoy here
