Girls On Bond - The World Is Not Enough

26th November 2007

Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards and Maria Grazia Cucinotta talk about their Bond Girl roles in 'The World Is Not Enough'...


Denise Richards
I don't understand the whole negative perception as far as Bond Girls go. They've all done very well and they're great actresses. A few people ask me if I was afraid of being typecast as being a Bond Girl, but I think it's my responsibility to change and evolve and work with different actors and different scripts.

I did this because I completely trusted Michael Apted [director]; he had some really strong ideas about keeping my character strong and sexy, but not a bimbo - not just a trinket on Bond's arm.

On the Lara Croft comparison:
I am not a damsel in distress. It's spunky and it's fun and I go along for the ride to help Bond save the world.

On researching the role:
Bond meets her because she is a scientist, and we help each other to save the world, but it's more about our relationship with each other. Some of the technical terms - I found out exactly what everything meant. For example, my character defuses a bomb so I found out how to do that.

 
Above: Do you have a name?

On the tongue-in-cheek homour:
I tried to play the scenes as straight as I could, but Pierce told me not to worry about it.

On watching the Bond films before the role:
The first one I saw was GoldenEye. After that I started to watch more of them. And I like them. They're such a fantasy.
Denise Richards (Dr. Christmas Jones)


Above: Denise Richards as Dr Christmas Jones

On filming at Pinewood in Britain:
There were very few Americans on set, so I loved it.

On anticipation of the media tidal wave:
It's so fun to be part of a movie that has such a huge following. It's like, 'Wow!' - it's such a big movie. There are footsteps to follow, other women...

Sophie Marceau
It's a great part. She's not a Bond Girl. She is one of the characters who make the story happen - the villain. She is not a proper Bond Girl because the character requires nothing that is specifically feminine. It's very well written. There is a real love story between her and James Bond; they're two human beings except they are on opposite sides. My part has a real story.

On being cast as a Bond Girl:
I've got nothing against Bond Girls, but I don't think I've got their measurements.

On being a villain:
Oh, I can relate to her being a bad girl. It's almost a pity she turns out to be a bad villain. Women are so obscure that you will not be surprised.

On political correctness:
I don't care about being very politically correct. It's a doctrine: the words 'politics' and 'correct' don't match. Politics is never correct. I'd rather be politically incorrect. I like that better.

 
Above: There's no point living if you can't feel alive

On the French connection:
I was back in France last week at an awards ceremony, and the young people in the crowd were so pleased about Bond. It's so popular. Since I've started working on the film, I've been discovering more things about England and Bond. Bond is family.
Sophie Marceau (Elektra King)


Above: Sophie Marceau as Elektra King

On her favourite Bond Girl
Hmm, it's difficult to say; I've only seen three Bond films. But you know, I'm always surprised when I see pictures of them. I think they all had a real personality, like a big mouth or something. There is no one type. It's not just blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls. The Bond Girl can be very different.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta
I'm the only girl who doesn't get to kiss Bond in the movie. I just have to try and kill him. It's really fun. This is the first time that I've been really bad I kill people and I don't care about anything.

On Bond #5:
Pierce is a wonderful person. He made me laugh. He made me comfortable and he has a good heart. When I work with people that don't speak my language it can be difficult, but he speaks slowly and tried to explain everything.

On the Bond legacy:
I'm learning a lot. For me, Bond is like a legend - when the Sicilians found out I was in this movie, it was like I'd won an Oscar.

 
Above: Would you like to check my figures?

This is something I'd never tried before. I've always liked at Bond and wondered about it, and now I'm part of it. One day, my grandson can say, 'My grandmother was in a Bond movie'.
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Cigar Girl)


Above: Maria Gracia Cucinotta as 'Cigar Girl'

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