14 DAY TRIAL // With the upcoming installment in the James Bond franchise, “SPECTRE,” we’ll be witnessing history being made, as the slick, handsome and dangerous 007 will finally be getting an age-appropriate love interest. Her name is Lucia Sciarra and she’s played by 50-year-old Monica Bellucci.
Now, we all know that James Bond is a major player and that all the gorgeous ladies who cross his path usually end up in his bed. We also know that they’re never older than 40: in fact, the oldest Bond Girl was Pussy Galore, played by 39-year-old Honor Blackman.
Daniel Craig is 46 years old, but his female co-stars in the first two James Bond films have been considerably younger, Dame Judi Dench’s Madame M not included.
So it’s not that surprising to hear that the first thought that went through Monica’s mind when she heard Sam Mendes’ proposal to be in “SPECTRE” was that they wanted her as replacement for said Madame M.
Fans know that M is now Ralph Fiennes, but Monica probably didn’t know that - or she thought producers were cooking up a twist to the story in “Skyfall.”
“I told Sam he would be a hero among women for casting me in SPECTRE,” Bellucci says in an interview cited by Yahoo! Beauty. It turns out that she was right: the announcement that she was an official Bond Girl at 50 was welcomed with praise around the world because, finally, Hollywood seemed to take action against ageism and gender bias.
However, now that we’re on the topic, Monica prefers the term “Bond Woman.”
“SPECTRE” will be out in theaters at the end of the year, with production now underway in several locations around the globe. From the infamous Sony Hack, we know that it will be the most expensive 007 film to date.