Shaken But Not Heard: Laverne Cox Wants To Be First Transgender Bond Girl

Forget suiting up to play a superhero in Infinity War or putting on pelts to be cast in the next series of Game of Thrones, landing a part in a #JamesBond movie is surely one of the sweetest gigs in town. If the job is sloshing back martinis while you ogle a suave #DanielCraig in tiny swimshorts, I'm sure most actresses would give their Jimmy Choos to be cast as one of the franchise's eponymous Bond girls.

Admittedly, we have had some pretty dire female counterparts to 007 over the past 55 years, while most of them have come with some equally dire Bond girl names. While Honor Blackman became a sex symbol thanks to her part as Pussy Galore, does anyone really remember Denise Richards as Christmas Jones? Whether you are a fan of Honey Ryder, Domino Derval, or Mary Goodnight, a star on the rise has thrown her steel-rimmed hat into the ring for a suggestion that is sure to cause a stir of the martini.

Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Orange Is the New Black star #LaverneCox gushed at the possibility of starring alongside the world's most infamous secret agent. Apparently a long-time Roger Moore fan, Cox did says she would push Craig out of bed, but that Bond had been a series she had grown up with.

Away from just watching at home, she revealed that her aspirations to star as a Bond girl came on a recent sightseeing trip to London, where I assume she just played the Bond theme in her head over and over again:

"I am a huge James Bond fan so when we were driving around, I totally felt like I was in a James Bond film. Maybe I was May Day from 'A View to a Kill' or Halle Berry's character [in 'Die Another Day']. I've always sort of imagined I could be a Bond girl – you could see that, right? So I was living out my Bond girl fantasy."

Some see Bond girls as a misogynistic representation of a bygone era, whereas others see them as an integral part of the series — either way, Cox would certainly be a different choice than those who have come before her.

A License To Thrill

The Sam Mendes era of Bond films has certainly tried to steer away your classic sexist trope of a Bond girl, while #NaomieHarris has sort of become the de facto Bond girl as a modern-day Moneypenny. Eva Green was also superb as the cold and calculating Vesper Lynd, but that being said, we still had Gemma Arterton as the dizzy victim who was dunked in oil during the appalling Quantum of Solace.

As a trans woman and advocate of equal rights, Cox would certainly be a bold move in terms of progress for the series. However, given how quickly some shot down Gillian Anderson's hopes of playing 007, would it be just another excuse for the haters to sharpen their pitchforks?

Personally, I think regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, any part should be anyone's to audition for and Cox would slaaaaay the competition as a Bond girl. Let's not forget that back in 1985, A View to a Kill had a fiery Grace Jones playing the jumpsuit-wearing May Day and foreshadowed Judi Dench's female powerhouse of M by a whole decade. The franchise has always prided itself on making memorable female characters, while Cox's work on Orange Is the New Black and The Rocky Horror Picture Show has proven she sure knows how to do that.

The whole state of Bond No. 25 is up in the air anyway, with no one quite sure whether Craig, Idris Elba, or Tom Hardy could be playing the titular spy. All we know so far is that Tom Holland is eying up the role (one day), Dave Bautista wants Michael Fassbender, and we are still no closer to hearing a peep out of EON on who the director could be. While the casting of any Bond girl is still a long way off, you have to admire Cox's ambition and I don't necessarily think we should say Dr. No to this one just yet!