The James Bond scene Ben Wishaw called “unsatisfying”
After making his breakthrough with a performance in the 2001 film My Brother Tom and an Oliver Award-nominated effort in a 2004 production of Hamlet, Ben Wishaw duly became one of Britain’s most sought-after actors. A further acclaimed turn in Richard II followed before the actor starred in one of his most iconic roles in the James Bond movie Skyfall.
Portraying Q in the 2012 Bond film and reprising the character in the subsequent movies Spectre and No Time to Die, Wishaw imbued the head of the research and development division of the British Secret Service with a modern edge whilst providing Bond with all the equipment he needs for success on his missions.
There was one moment in No Time to Die that marked a change in the Bond series because of the way that it acknowledged the existence of the LGBTQ+ community. Across 24 previous Bond movies, there had never been a solitary mention of the fact that one of its characters might be gay, so a scene in which Q referred to dating a man went down in cinematic history.
Interestingly, though, Wishaw himself seems to have mixed feelings about the scene. In an interview with The Guardian, he explained, “I’m very happy to admit maybe some things were not great about that [creative] decision,” showing that there seemed to be something of a conflict about the moment behind the scenes of the production.
As the Bond movie franchise moved into modern socio-political times, perhaps there was pressure on the producers to acknowledge non-hetero sexualities, although Wishaw believes that they weren’t merely bowed to such pressure. “I suppose I don’t feel it was forced upon the studio,” he said. “That was not my impression of how this came about. I think it came from a good place.”
Still, it’s fair to say that the moment was not exactly a crescendo nor a celebration of homosexuality but rather a tongue-in-cheek reference to the LGBTQ+ community. Because of that, Wishaw experienced his mixed feelings, noting, “I think I thought, ‘Are we doing this, and then doing nothing with it?’ I remember, perhaps, feeling that was unsatisfying.”
Still, Wishaw didn’t “pick it apart with anybody on the film,” admitting that if it had been on a slightly smaller production, then he might have done so. “It’s a very big machine,” he said, noting that he “thought a lot” about raising the idea that more should be done with Q’s sexuality rather than one solitary line that seemed only to serve as an appeasement or quota-ticking of sorts.
“Finally, I didn’t,” he said. “I accepted this was what was written. And I said the lines. And it is what it is.” There seems to be a conflict within Wishaw that suggests that he would have liked to have done more with the scene in No Time to Die but understood his place as an actor in one of the biggest movie franchises.
Still, the scene ought to be celebrated somewhat for the way it finally acknowledged the existence of non-hetero sexualities despite it being, as Wishaw noted, somewhat “unsatisfying”. As the Bond movies continue to progress into the future, perhaps a more satisfying celebration of Q’s sexuality will arrive, although Wishaw has stated he is likely finished with playing the character.
Check out the scene in question below.
