Daniel Craig shuts down claims Phoebe Waller-Bridge was hired to 'feminize' upcoming James Bond film: 'It's f**king ridiculous'
Daniel Craig has passionately debunked reports that writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge was taken aboard the James Bond crew to revise the script for 'No Time To Die' only because she is a woman.
During a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the 51-year-old hunk hit back at a journalist after he was asked whether Waller-Bridge was hired to 'feminize' the latest 007 franchise.
"Look, we’re having a conversation about Phoebe’s gender here, which is f**king ridiculous," Craig told the outlet. "She’s a great writer. Why shouldn’t we get Phoebe onto Bond?"
"I know where you’re going, but I don’t actually want to have that conversation! I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s wrong. It’s absolutely wrong," he continued. "She’s a f**king great writer. One of the best English writers around. I said, 'Can we get her on the film?' That’s where I came from."
Craig didn't stop there.
"She’s just brilliant! I had my eye on her ever since the first 'Fleabag', and then I saw 'Killing Eve' and what she did with that, and just wanted her voice," he added. "It is so unique... We are very privileged to have her on board."
The original script for 'No Time To Die' was drafted by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, both of whom have previously written Bond screenplays, and later redrafted by director Cary Fukunaga and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns.
There were many reports following the announcement that Waller-Bridge was solely hired to make sure 007 did not infringe women's rights.
Waller-Bridge herself argued against this during an interview with Deadline in May. "There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that’s b*****ks!" she said. "I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character."