Daniel Craig was forced to point out the ridiculousness of referring to his female co-star in Spectre as an “older woman” despite being almost the same age as him.
Monica Bellucci’s selection as a 'Bond Girl' in the latest installment of the franchise sparked a flurry of headlines marvelling at how a woman in her 50s could be picked for such a role. No-one seemed to bat an eyelid at Craig, who at 47 isn’t far off his 50s, being chosen as the protagonist, a sign of the ageism inherent within the fil industry.
This was demonstrated during an interview with Red Bulletin, when his interviewer suggested that Bond in this film was shown “succumbing to the charms of an older woman”, aka Bellucci, ironic considering Bellucci is only four years older than Craig.
“I think you mean the charms of a woman his own age,” Craig responded. “We’re talking about Monica Bellucci, for heaven’s sake. When someone like that wants to be a Bond girl, you just count yourself lucky!”
Bellucci has referred to herself as a Bond woman, as opposed to girl, and attributed the stir that her casting in the film caused to patriarchy.
“The world is a man's world,” she told The Guardian. “Men have the power in everything ... Men think that women, when they're not able to procreate any more, become old. That is not true - they are still amazing! That's why I think that Sam Mendes', in choosing me, an adult woman, created a big revolution.”
