GoldenEye star Famke Janssen reflects on the downsides of playing Bond girl Xenia Onatopp. Released in 1995, GoldenEye saw Pierce Brosnan take on the role of James Bond following Timothy Dalton's turn as the iconic super spy during the 1980s. The film was directed by Martin Campbell, who would later go on to direct Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig, and received generally positive reviews from both audiences and critics. GoldenEye was also a financial success, grossing over $356 million.
Although GoldenEye was the first Bond movie not to use story elements from the novels of Bond creator Ian Fleming, the film retained many of the same tropes that audiences had becomes familiar with, including the inclusion of a "Bond girl". In his quest to stop a rogue MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) from activating a satellite weapon to destabilize the global economy, Bond comes into contact with Onatopp, a Russian fighter pilot and assassin who kills enemies by crushing them between her thighs. Although Onatopp and 007 have the customary sexual tension that fans have come to expect from the Bond franchise, Onatopp doesn't make it through GoldenEye alive, meeting her end after being hurled into a tree after Brosnan's character shoots her helicopter down.
In a new interview with The Independent, Janssen reflects on the negative effects that came with playing a Bond girl, admitting that she struggled with the constant attention from the press that followed the release of GoldenEye. The actor says that she felt "thrown to the wolves" after her appearance in the film, explaining that there are certain stereotypes that came with the role and her past career as a model. Check out Janssen's full comment below:
“The Bond movie dictated a lot of my relationship with the press. Honestly, after GoldenEye, I felt like I was thrown to the wolves. It was just an onslaught of attention, good and bad and everything in between. I realize every actor in the world thinks they can control the press, but ultimately the press always wins. I already had to deal with the stereotype of having been a model, but then I added another thing: model turned actress turned Bond Girl. I feel incredibly misunderstood at times. It’s the dichotomy between the way I look and what is happening inside. But that comes with being in a Bond movie and playing this crazy assassin. All of my friends and family know that I’m goofy, and sensitive, and that I play these characters who are so different from that; other people probably think I’m just playing myself.”
Although not really talked about at the time of GoldenEye's release, the whole idea of Bond girl has now come under increased scrutiny. In the Craig era of Bond, especially with his later entries like Spectre and No Time To Die, the franchise has attempted to steer away from the objectification of women and their treatment as disposable story elements. Janssen's comments echo a similar sentiment from Quantum of Solace Bond girl actor Gemma Arterton, who revealed that she faced criticism and similar stereotyping for playing the short-lived Strawberry Fields and has since come to realize the inherent problems with the way female characters are depicted in 007 movies.
Janssen went on to earn some exciting roles after GoldenEye, with the actor notably starring as Jean Grey in several X-Men films. Other than a stint in the Taken franchise opposite Liam Neeson, however, Janssen has mostly appeared in smaller movies and TV shows of late, potentially to avoid the constant attention from the press. It remains to be seen how Bond 26 will evolve the franchise, but producer Barbara Broccoli previously explained that the next iteration of the character will be a total reinvention. Hopefully, this reinvention means that playing a Bond girl no longer comes with the stereotypes it so clearly used to come with.
Source: The Independent