- In an interview with IndieWire,
Dev Patel said that he is reluctant to playJames Bond as he doesn't want to be a "tokenistic" hire for the sake ofdiversity . - Patel has been touted as a potential 007 replacement for Daniel Craig after Craig exits the role following November's "No Time To Die."
- Patel told IndieWire: "I also don't want to be gifted a role, just because of the tokenistic nature of me being a garnish — 'Let's sprinkle some diversity into this!' That doesn't make me feel good either."
Dev Patel said he isn't interested in taking on the mantle of 007 as he doesn't want to be a "tokenistic" diversity hire.
Patel has been touted as a possible new 007 by many — there's even an entire Reddit thread on why Patel would be the perfect Bond.
However, in an interview with IndieWire published on August 25, Patel said that his vote for the next James Bond would go to
"I mean, you don't want me blasting through a door with a Walther PPK to try to save you. I'll do the comedy version with Armando [Iannucci]," Patel said. "I just think the best person for the role is what it comes down to."
Patel, who has built up an impressive resume since debuting in British TV series "Skins," continued: "I also don't want to be gifted a role, just because of the tokenistic nature of me being a garnish — 'Let's sprinkle some diversity into this!' That doesn't make me feel good either."
Patel concluded that "If it works for the story, and I feel like I can bring some truth out of this role or embody it well, then that's what it should come down to."
Patel had a breakout role in 2008 with Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire," which won seven Academy Awards, and has gone on to star in several hit movies such as "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2011) and "Lion" (2016), for which he was Oscar-nominated for best supporting actor.
Patel currently stars in Armando Iannucci's "The Personal History of David Copperfield," which will be released in select US movie theaters on August 28. Patel complemented the movie's colorblind casting in the same IndieWire interview.
Patel said: "I think it's a really positive time. There's so much more opportunity out there, and I'm very grateful for that. I think Armando is really keeping the doors open on this, and hopefully there's some other brave filmmakers that will follow in his footsteps."
Meanwhile, the film's director, "Veep" creator Iannucci told IndieWire that he hopes his form of progressive casting will encourage other filmmakers to do the same.
"Hopefully it [becomes] a subconscious thing of people automatically thinking, I mustn't categorize this role to any particular ethnic background. I say, 'Why can't I cast from 100 percent of the acting talent available to me?'" Iannucci said. "It can't be the case that a whole group of amazing actors are prevented from having lead roles, because the whole point of making these films now is because we feel the story is relevant, and we should show that it's relevant by how we go about making it."
Daniel Craig will be giving up the mantle of Bond after November's "No Time to Die," his fifth outing as the British spy after first taking on the role in 2006 with "Casino Royale." There has been no word yet on who the next 007 will be but, as usual, speculation is rife and fans are hoping that the iconic role will go to a non-white actor like Patel or Elba for the first time ever.
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