Saoirse Ronan has made it clear that she would love to enter the world of James Bond, but not as the spy’s love interest. The Oscar-nominated actress wants to take on a much darker role and says she is “dead serious” about playing a villain in a future 007 film.
Speaking to Empire while promoting her latest film, Bad Apples, Ronan explained why the prospect of becoming a Bond antagonist appeals to her. The actress said she wants to explore a character very different from many of the roles she has played throughout her career.
“I want to go dark,”
Ronan said.
“I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I’m dead serious.”
Saoirse Ronan Wants to Explore a Darker Side
Ronan said the idea of playing a young female villain would be particularly interesting from a dramatic perspective. She also suggested that such a character could offer something compelling for female audiences.
“I think it would be really interesting, having a young female villain,”
Ronan told Empire. She added that there was something appealing about portraying a woman who could
“take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere.”
The comments have generated fresh discussion about whether Ronan could eventually join the long-running spy franchise. However, there is currently no indication that she has been approached for the upcoming Bond film, and no casting announcements have been made regarding the movie’s villain or its new 007.
The next James Bond film is still taking shape under Amazon MGM Studios, with Denis Villeneuve attached as director and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight writing the screenplay. The studio has confirmed that the search for the next actor to play Bond is ongoing, but has declined to comment on specific casting rumors.
Jack Lowden’s Bond Rumors Add an Interesting Twist
Ronan’s interest in the franchise is especially notable because her husband, Jack Lowden, has also been rumored as a possible candidate to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond. Lowden is among several actors whose names have circulated in connection with the role, although Amazon MGM Studios has not confirmed any casting decisions.
If both actors were eventually cast in the same film, it could create an unusual dynamic for the franchise, with Ronan potentially playing a villain opposite her real-life husband as 007. For now, though, the possibility remains purely speculative.
Ronan would also join a distinguished group of actors who have played Bond villains in recent years, including Javier Bardem, Christoph Waltz, Mads Mikkelsen and Rami Malek. The actress has built her career on acclaimed performances in films such as Atonement, Brooklyn, Lady Bird and Little Women, making a Bond villain role a notable departure from her previous work.
Whether Ronan ever gets the opportunity to “go dark” in the 007 franchise remains to be seen. But with the next Bond film still in development and its major cast members yet to be revealed, the actress has now made her interest unmistakably clear.
