MovieChat Forums > Spectre (2015) Discussion > Seriously though, why does James Bond ha...

Seriously though, why does James Bond have to be white?

posted 5 years ago by TheReccher (343)
30 replies | jump to latest

I am not a leftist, or an "SJW." I have never given a shit about representation, or filling some stupid race quota for the sake of it. I don't like politics meshing with my art, at least in the way people today like to. So I'm looking at this from a standpoint of pure, unadultured curiosity. Why is his race a big deal?

Everyone keeps saying "his character is white," but I've never gotten an answer as to why. How does him being white effect the character? Like Superman has an iconic look from the comic that needs to be preserved, he's the image of a super-hero, guys like Luke Cage and Black Panther have to be black because that's their character, Tony Soprano has to be a white Italian guy to make sense. But I've always seen Bond as being beyond race. His race has never entered into the equation of his character in my mind. He's ENGLISH, but not necessarily white. He was just made that way, but that's not who he is. He might have been made in a time where England was a mono-ethnic country but times change. I could easily see Idris Elba as a typically English bond who just so happens to posses African heritage and not James Bond but black.

[–] Threadkiller (2958) 5 years ago

I'm certainly not a "SJW" nor am I a SWS whom I hate sharing the same side of an argument. That being said, my take on it is that James Bond doesn't "have to be" white but that's how he was conceived and how he's been portrayed onscreen for decades. While many different actors have played the character over decades there's always been a sense that it's the same character. It's also important to note that James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in cinema. I'm way more flexible on this sort of thing with lesser known, less iconic characters but there are various attributes that are a part of James Bond's iconic status and if you chip away at the characteristics that have long made James Bond iconic, it just leaves the door open for the character to become something else entirely. Being a white British man is "part" of James Bond's iconic imagery even if it is more aesthetic than an integral part of his personality, not entirely different than the image of Bond wearing a suit.

i'm not outright against a non white actor playing James Bond but I also don't think it's necessary either. Honestly I think a white female James "Jane" Bond would be even more jarring.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Superman has an iconic look from the comic that needs to be preserved, he's the image of a super-hero, guys like Luke Cage and Black Panther have to be black because that's their character, Tony Soprano has to be a white Italian guy to make sense.

I think you've answered your own question there.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

because it was written as white for a white male for novels and movies. by ian flemming and other writes.you cant change that its blasphemy.and also that nonsense about female bond..damn if that happens this franchise would be ruined,feminists females and ,black bond must stay away from this series..or if you are looking for a better answer ask eva green the chick who played vespar in casino royal she will tell you why bond must be a white and male and why it must stay that way and not change..period

[–] kwestmo (4127) 5 years ago

Why change an existing character? If you must have a black spy why not create an original series? Oh, that was done - the XXX series.

[–] sokar (2098) 5 years ago

Straight white men are the enemy now and must be changed.

Straight to gay
white to black
men to woman

Those are the new rules. European ancestry, history can be chopped and changed to whatever entertainment wants but black ancestry and history must be retained because it meas so much to the charcater. The hypocrisy screams out loud when they say that.

There are rumours running of a black Magneto and Professor X. Yeh i would like them to explain a Black, Jewish, holocaust survivor in world war 2, that will take some writing gymnastics. But i guarantee people will say it means nothing to his character.

At some point they are going to go one character to far and you will finally see an audience backlash, until then im afraid Hollywierd will continue to do it.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

The second world war was 80 years ago.
I would like for you to explain how a survivor of world war 2 would still be looking fit in tights to fight Wolverine.

Obviously, if they would ever move along with a black Magneto, he would no longer be a WW2 survivor. That story has been done.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

Of course Bond has got to be British through and through and from a "good" background... but in today's world that wouldn't necessarily mean white. Monied people of other races have been living in GB and attending the best schools for generations now, and intermarrying with the monied locals. Logically, Bond could be mixed or if another race without changing anything significant abou the character, and there's absolutely no reason they couldn't just use the best actor they can find, whatever his skin tone.

Like Batman (see the appropriate boards.)

But it won't happen. Thd Bond core audience is white men fantasizing about being an ultra-cool badass, the producers will go with what sells.

[–] Urogy (176) 4 years ago

You're NOT a leftist and/or a SJW but yet, you're an OBSESSED NYMPHOMANIAC about as to WHY James Bond has to be a white guy? That's like you stating that YOUR BOYFRIEND IS GAY...... but you're NOT! I just saw the movie Hacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss is a white male but WHO GIVES A F*CK...... it was a great movie! Look up the definition of HYPOCRITE....... Oh, by the way, the new Money-penny is a very beautiful black woman, that's perfect for the part, but notice how you completely ignored that? I liked her in "28 days later" and she's a great actress, REGARDLESS of whether she's black or white!

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Because that was how he was written. If you are going to deviate that far from the source material then just make a new character and a new franchise. Literally nothing is stopping any studio from making a franchise about a smooth, black super spy. For the same reasons James Bond should never be American.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

Was he written blonde, though?

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Where did I try to defend him being blonde? That’s a deflection

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

I'm just saying that these traits, that are irrelevant to the character, don't actually always need to be accurate.
The movies are adaptations, not direct translations word by word of the original work.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

First of all James Bond is not a social justice experiment, secondly I think that's deviating way too far from the source material. If you are going to deviating that far from the source material then just make a new franchise, James Bond movies should tell a story, not make reparations for social justice warriors.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

But how is the James Bond story going to be any different if he is black, now?

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Could James Bond be American?

Could Wonder Woman be male?

Could Lucius Fox be white?

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

No, James Bond being British working for the British government is part of his character.

Wonder Woman, as the name implies, cannot be male.

I don't know who Lucius Fox is.

So how are these characteristics, that as we mentioned, are specifically part of the character, compared to James Bond being white or black?

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

And he was originally written as a white person just like he was originally written as a British person.

I thought in this day and age if you thought you were a woman you were a woman? Guess not

He's the guy who gives Batman all of his gadgets, he was played by Morgan Freeman in the Dark Knight Trilogy and in the comics he was black

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

His being white is a detail that doesn't matter to any story or personality trait.

Being British does.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

How does being British play into the story or personality trait? George Lazenby was Australian and he played Bond. Pierce Brosnan is Irish which is not part of Britain and he played Bond, so therefore if I could do a British accent I could play Bond correct even though I'm American? (FYI I didn't think Lazenby was a good Bond)

[–] ccr1633 (1426) 4 years ago

Yeah, try that argument for making Luke Cage Asian, or Black Panther an orthodox Jewish woman. It's really a matter of tradition, and there's generally nothing wrong with preserving traditions. James Bond is a British pop culture icon. Keep him as he was originally envisaged. All these probing questions about why it's important to preserve the image...well then, why is it important to anyone else that Bond be changed to a different race, gender, or orientation? The only purpose seems to be to make a sociopolitical point, which is a bad reason. I think non-British non-white males and females across the globe can get along in life completely unbothered if James Bond remains a white British heterosexual male. Why would that affect anyone adversely? Anyone fragile enough to be disturbed by that tradition really doesn't deserve to be catered to.

[–] Towelie_Towel (1719) 4 years ago

I'm not wanting to change Bond's race, I'm really just wondering what difference would it make if a good actor that is black applied for the job, what would be the groundings on him being denied the job if he had the quality for it.

They would just say "you're a good prospect, but sorry, Bond has to be white because he was written as a white guy 70 years ago, when our society basically had only white people anyway. And even though 10 actors have already played Bond, and they were all physically different from each other, at least they were all white."

Luke Cage, whether you like it or not, is defined by his "blackness", same as Black Panther. Like Captain America I guess has to be white, because he was a model of "Americaness" in the 40s. Like Magneto has to be white, because he was a traditional jewish survivor from WW2 (unless they want to change his entire backstory). James Bond, I don't see the need to prevent a black actor from portraying him.

[–] ccr1633 (1426) 4 years ago

"I'm not wanting to change Bond's race, I'm really just wondering what difference would it make if a good actor that is black applied for the job, what would be the groundings on him being denied the job if he had the quality for it."

Because he doesn't look the part.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12388) 4 years ago

Seriously though, why does James Bond have to that dumbass Daniel Craig?