Henry Golding: James Bond role is ‘every actor’s kind of nightmare’

At the Los Angeles premiere of “The Old Guard 2” on June 25, British Malaysian actor Henry Golding spoke with People about the pressures of taking on the role of James Bond. “I think that’s every actor’s kind of nightmare,” Golding said, describing the immense cultural expectations attached to playing 007. While he acknowledged the honor and excitement of joining the franchise, he made it clear that the role’s legacy could feel overwhelming.

Golding suggested that expanding the Bond universe could offer more creative freedom. “Why can’t they bring out more agents or more 00s? I think that would be so much more fun because there just isn’t the restraints and the expectation,” he said. He added that the pressure can be intimidating, joking, “Maybe I’m just a pussy. I don’t know. But I think I would love it so much more if there wasn’t that overhanging cultural pressure.”

The 38-year-old “Crazy Rich Asians” star also addressed Bond’s ethnic identity in a separate interview with RadioTimes last month. “I think sometimes it is good to pay justice to the source material, and how Ian Fleming saw this idea of Bond,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think there should be “pressure to change the ethnicity” of the character. He expressed openness to playing a different agent, such as 008, referencing it as a “lucky Chinese number.”