Will Eva Green escape the ‘Bond curse’?
A little bit Barbara Bach (The Spy Who Loved Me) and a little bit Carole Bouquet (For Your Eyes Only), French actress Eva Green definitely has the decolletage to be a Bond girl.
But according to one school of thought, the relative unknown — who was announced last week to play original Bond girl Vesper Lynd opposite newly crowned James Bond Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (which opens Nov. 17) — is now doomed to stay a relative unknown.
Green’s previous major exposure has been as Orlando Bloom’s love interest in the big-budget Crusades bomb Kingdom Of Heaven. So careerwise, she is a blank slate.
But as blank as Lois Chiles, who played Holly Goodhead in Moonraker? Or Lana Wood who played Plenty O’Toole in Diamonds Are Forever?
Whether there’s a career-killing “Bond curse” or not (and there are enough post-Bond success stories to at least poke holes in the theory), the latter-day Bond era of big-name leading ladies appears to be over.
The part of Vesper, Bond’s tragic one true love according to the Ian Fleming books, was reportedly turned down by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson, Thandie Newton and Canadian girl Rachel McAdams.
Is it the bimbo factor? If so, it’s an unfair rap if you consider Bond girls pre- and post- what I consider the null-point of Bond and his Girls — The Living Daylights.
TLD, you may recall, was the film that introduced Timothy Dalton as a humourless Bond. Released at the height of the AIDS scare, it was the first film in which Bond became a one-woman man (girl next door Maryam D’Abo as the cello-playing Kara Milovy), and the first in which it’s suggested he doesn’t sleep with his leading lady or anybody else.
Listen, you don’t want a guy with a licence to kill getting cranky.
James and Kara ride a Ferris wheel. They hug and hold hands. They might as well have cast Timothy Hutton.
Before? Well, there was a bit of Austin Powers in Bond lines like, “There’s something I want you to get off your chest” (Diamonds Are Forever). And perhaps a touch of misogyny in how quickly he moves on after a bedmate is poisoned by his side (You Only Live Twice). But it was the times, and the role of Bond girl was that of sex kitten.
After? As often as not, Bond girls kicked more butt (Grace Slick, Famke Janssen, Michelle Yeoh), and toyed with Bond as much as he used to toy with the likes of Tiffany Case. So maybe Angelina et al are just paying heed to Halle Berry’s inauspicious post-Bond career (Catwoman? Gothika?).
You don’t want your last words, careerwise, to be: “Oh, James!”
Herewith, some of our fave Bond babes, and the “curse” analyzed:
MAUD ADAMS
as Andrea Anders (The Man With The
Golden Gun) and Octopussy (Octopussy)
Post Bond career highlights
Was rumoured to have actually had sex on screen with Bruce Dern in Tattoo. Returned to Bond in an uncredited role in A View To A Kill as “Woman In Fisherman’s Wharf Crowd.”
Cursed? Yes
URSULA ANDRESS
as Honey Rider (Dr. No)
Post Bond career highlights
Played Aphrodite in Clash Of The Titans. TV series appearances include The Love Boat, Manimal and Falcon Crest.
Cursed? Yes
CLAUDINE AUGER
as Domino Derval (Thunderball)
Post Bond career highlights
“Stays busy” working in TV and film in France, Italy and Spain.
No awards to speak of.
Cursed? Yes
BARBARA BACH
as Anya Amasova (The Spy Who Loved Me)
Post Bond career highlights
Married Ringo Starr, starred with him in Caveman (but lost him in the movie to Shelley Long).
Cursed? Yes
KIM BASINGER
as Domino Patacchi (Never Say Never Again)
Post Bond career highlights
Won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential.
Battling it out with Halle Berry for Worst Post-Oscar career — and with Alec Baldwin for worst Hollywood marriage breakup.
Cursed? No
HONOR BLACKMAN
as Pussy Galore (Goldfinger)
Post Bond career highlights
Won acclaim in a ’60s production of Wait Until Dark. Played Penny Husbands-Bosworth in Bridget Jones’ Diary. Recently played recurring character Rula Romanoff on Coronation Street. Has a one-woman stage show Wayward Ladies.
Cursed? No
TERI HATCHER
as Paris Carver (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Post Bond career highlights
Sidra, the girl on Seinfeld whose breasts are “real … and they’re fabulous!” Currently stars as Susan Mayer in some show about housewives whose state of mind is usually, um, what’s the word I’m looking for here? Oh yeah, Desperate!
Cursed? No
FAMKE JANSSEN
as Xenia Onatopp (GoldenEye)
Post Bond career highlights
Plays Dr. Jean Grey in the X-Men movies — a character who apparently can’t be killed (talk about job security).
Dated Ben Affleck. Survived that, too.
Cursed? No
GRACE JONES
as May Day (A View To A Kill)
Post Bond career highlights
Co-starred with Chris Makepeace
in the vampire movie Vamp. Played
Helen Strange opposite Eddie Murphy and Robin Givens in the laugh-a-minute chortlefest Boomerang.
Cursed? Yes
JANE SEYMOUR
as Solitaire (Live And Let Die)
Post Bond career highlights
Gave up tarot cards, got her medical degree and spent six seasons as Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman. Played villainess
Genevieve Teague in Smallville.
Cursed? No
JILL ST. JOHN
as Tiffany Case (Diamonds Are Forever)
Post Bond career highlights
Played Sylvia Maxwell on Hart To Hart.
Did a Love Boat AND a Fantasy Island.
Dated Henry Kissinger.
Married Robert Wagner.
Cursed? Yes
MICHELLE YEOH
as Wai Lin (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Post Bond career highlights
Been in one or two movies you might have heard of, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs Of A Geisha, and is the highest paid actress in Asia.
Cursed? No
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