Lashana Lynch Speaks On All The Backlash She Faced After Being Cast As 007

Even though she faced some serious backlash once she was announced as the next 007, Lashana Lynch didn’t let it get to her.

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The British-born actress–who plays 007 in the 2021 film, No Time to Die–decided to brush off all of the negative comments she received when her role in the film was announced. She told Harper’s Bazaar UK that she realized the criticism would be the same had any other black actress taken on the task of being the first female to play 007.

“I am one Black woman — if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse,” Lynch explained. “I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I’m a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary.”

The 32-year-old went on to say that she coped with the backlash by staying off of social media for a week, meditating, and only seeing people in her family. The actress, whose character Nomi inherits the 007 title from James Bond in the upcoming film, said that she feels “grateful” that she gets to “challenge those narratives.”

“We’re moving away from toxic masculinity, and that’s happening because women are being open, demanding and vocal, and calling out misbehavior as soon as we see it,” she said.

Clearly, Lashana has more important things to worry about, like just how iconic her role in the film really is. Back in February, she said of her ground-breaking role, “It is an honor to be able to proudly fly our big Jamaican flag up in MI6 as a 00 agent.”