Helen Mirren thinks James Bond just isn’t James Bond without a leading man. Calling herself “such a feminist” in a new interview with Saga Magazine, the actor said it wouldn’t make sense to reimagine the iconic spy as a woman. “It just doesn’t work,” Mirren said during a sit-down with her “Thursday Murder Club” co-star Pierce Brosnan, a former 007.

Helen Mirren is against casting a woman to play James Bond as speculation swirls around the actors vying to portray the character after Daniel Craig.

I'm such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy," said the actress, who previously criticized the spy franchise in March 2025