Lea Seydoux says we should update the term ‘Bond Girl’

Lea Seydoux, one of the stars of “No Time To Die” is proud of the steps that the James Bond franchise has made in fleshing out their female characters, making them less disposable. Still, she thinks there’s room for improvement.

In an appearance on the TV program Good Morning America, Seydoux discussed her role in the film, where she plays the character of Madeline Swann who first appeared in “Spectre.” Madeline is one of the most significant love interests in Bond’s history. When speaking about her role, she said that Swann is “quite unexpected for a Bond girl because she‘s not here to please James Bond. She’s this time a real woman with depth and vulnerability, which is something quite new for a Bond woman.“

She’s also the only actress to have played a Bond girl for more than one film, a stat that Seydoux finds incredible. Bond girls have a history of being interchangeable. Always beautiful, these women were introduced as ways of making Bond shine, with a majority of them meeting their deaths onscreen or being replaced as soon as Bond moved on to the next adventure. It’s a legacy that the franchise has had to reevaluate over time.

When speaking about the term ‘Bond girl’, the host of the show asked Seydoux if the world should get rid of that term. “I think now we can call them ‘Bond women,’” she said. “I can thank Daniel in a way because he‘s a feminist and it’s because of him that the female characters have changed so much. It was time to now have stronger female characters so I‘m really happy for that.”

As for her part in the film, she’s excited about the relationship that exists between Bond and Madeline and looks forward to witnessing the reactions that people will have to it. “We get to understand the relationship between James Bond and Madeleine and why they are so connected because they are both orphans,” she said. “This time it‘s very emotional and maybe the reason why people have really connected to this story.”

Seydoux has had a prolific career in France and Hollywood, although the Bond films are her most notorious work yet. “No Time To Die” is available in theaters starting October 8th.