Lashana Lynch rejects the idea that a Black woman can’t play a spy or a superhero.
The 33-year-old actress featured in the new James Bond movie No Time To Die as the straight-talking secret agent Nomi and believes that more “strong Black women” should be in key cinematic roles.
Lashana told The Sun newspaper: “I think throughout cinema it’s imperative that we introduce the conversation of the strong Black woman into everything.
“I’m very happy to represent what I do, I’m very proud of where I come from. But I don’t want to be the one and only.”
The character enjoys an uneasy relationship with Daniel Craig’s Bond in the movie and Lashana explained that a lot of thought went into making the character formidable.
The Captain Marvel star said, “We kind of created this big melting pot of who she could be, what she represents in MI6. What kind of Black woman is she? Strong, whip-sharp, witty and brave, playful, very cheeky, very sarcastic and dry.”
Lashana previously explained that she wanted Nomi to be relatable in the “slick” franchise.
She said, “I don’t want our young Black girls to think that these superheroes are out here just being slick because they’re not. Nomi goes home, she’s got her washing to do, she lives on her own and she’s lonely.”
Lashana is also determined to avoid being typecast, even when she was struggling to make ends meet during the early stages of her career.
She recalled, “The first thing I said when I left drama school was, ‘I will not ever be typecast.’ That’s one thing I wasn’t going to accept, even if I was out on the street and had no money.”
