Eva Green, the actress who played Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, failed her first screen test as the character responsible for melting Agent 007’s heart. Based on Ian Fleming’s classic novel of the same name, the 2006 film scored the debut of Daniel Craig as British secret agent James Bond. Critically acclaimed upon release, the film boldly reinvented the long-running film franchise with a much more realistic approach that influenced all of Craig’s subsequent films.
Based on Bond’s long-term casting records, however, the decision to cast Green as Bond’s new love interest was not without difficulty. During an interview with RadioTimes.com, Debbie McWilliams reveals that there was not only resistance to her initial selection, but that she also failed her first screen test. Luckily though, both McWilliams and Bond producer Barbara Broccoli insisted she come back for a second audition, which ultimately landed her the role.
The article next highlights how after Pierce Brosnan’s years of playing James Bond, Craig’s debut represented a significant shift in the direction of the long-running Bond franchise. Recently, in particular, it is Eva Green’s interpretation of Vesper Lynd that has made the difference, being a more developed and complex character than the classic “Bond Girl”. While the events of Casino Royale see Lynd sacrifice herself for Bond, her impact on him persists even after her death in No Time To Die. Without the work Green did in Casino Royale, later characters like Lashana Lynch’s Nomi, Ana de Armas’ Paloma, and Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann would never have existed.