Bond should always be white, says black British actor
Bond should always be white, says black British actor
India McTaggartTue, August 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM UTC
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The producer of the next Bond film says Daniel Craig will be ‘a hard act to follow’ - Aston Martin/Handout
James Bond should always be cast as a white man “with a slick accent”, a black British actor has said.
Nicholas Pinnock, best known for his roles in For Life, Marcella and Top Boy, cautioned against changing the character for the sake of “ticking a box” and urged the new franchise custodians to consider writing a “008” character for a black actor instead.
In an interview with Radio Times, the London-based actor said: “I grew up with James Bond looking and acting a certain way. I don’t want it to change.
“You go to watch a James Bond movie, you know that James Bond’s going to be this English, Scottish or Irish guy with a slick accent, with kick-arse moves, who gets all the ladies.
“Great! I want him to stay like that. I don’t think changing him and ticking a box is the answer.”
Nicholas Pinnock says he grew up watching white actors in the role and he wants it to stay that way - Adela Loconte/2026 Penske Media
Pinnock, who is currently starring in the Sky Atlantic drama series Fightland, added: “What I would like is for the industry to put the same amount of money, care and attention into another character that doesn’t look like James Bond.
“If they put posters up tomorrow saying ‘008’ in the same font, everybody would be at the cinema, they wouldn’t question it and they would love it.
“And it could be me. It could be [Sir] Idris Elba, it could be Dev Patel. It could be anybody of non-European descent, and it would be amazing.”
His comments came as Amazon MGM Studio continued its official casting process for Daniel Craig’s successor, which began officially in May after years of speculation.
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Sir Idris, who had been considered a front-runner as Craig’s replacement, addressed speculation about the role by saying that audiences would not welcome the casting of a black actor to play Ian Fleming’s suave spy.
Sir Idris Elba was previously a front runner to star in the new Bond film - Karwai Tang
Speaking to GQ magazine in June, he said: “I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
The Golden Globe winner, 53, admitted he had been “complimented” by the rumours, but explained: “I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason.”
Earlier this month, Amy Pascal, who will produce the next Bond film, teased that the casting for Bond would be “stirring and exciting”. She told Deadline: “I would say [an announcement by] the end of the year is a good bet.
“We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it’s got to be something really different that is stirring, exciting and different.”
Actors such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Harris Dickinson have all been touted as potential replacements for Craig after his 15-year tenure as the spy, which ended with the film No Time to Die in 2021.
Craig ended his 15-year stint as Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die - Nicola Dove/PA
Auditions for the role have been taking place since May with the help of Nina Gold, the Oscar-nominated British casting veteran, who is well known for her work on Game of Thrones, The Crown and The Day of the Jackal.
The Bond franchise has grossed more than £5bn to date, after Fleming’s novels were picked up by Eon Productions in 1961.
Production on the new film is expected to start next year, with a release planned for the following year. It will be directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve and written by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
