Entertainment Odds–Actress To Play The Next ‘Bond Girl’
Last week we posted some odds on which actor would be the ‘next James Bond’. Now we’ll turn to the distaff and offer up some prop bet odds on the actress to play the ‘next Bond girl’. The ‘Bond girl’ is a title given to the female lead in every ‘James Bond 007’ film. This is often a love interest though it can also be a villain working against our favorite British Secret Service operative. They sometimes have names that are ‘double entendres’–the best one easily being the ‘Bond girl’ in ‘Goldfinger named ‘Pussy Galore’ and played by Honor Blackman.
Critics who likely think too deeply about films that are supposed to be escapist fluff have identified several ‘archetypal roles’ that ‘Bond girls’ play in the 007 films. The first is a standard female archetype called the ‘Femme fatale’. Basically, this is a women with malevolent intent who ensnares the hero with her mysterious and seductive ways. As soon as he’s roped in, she will either turn on him or just try to kill him. There is also the ‘sidekick’, which is a female that tries to work with or assist Bond in some way. The ‘Sacrificial lamb’ is a female character–almost always a Bond romantic interest that winds up dead. She’s typically used to get over the fact that Bond’s enemy is a really bad guy. Finally, there’s the romantic interest which in reality is more appropriately described as a ‘sexual tryst’. Bond actually fell in love with the ‘Bond girl’ in only two films (‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ in 1969 and ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006). Spoiler alert–neither relationship ended well with one killed and the other revealed as a ‘double agent’.
Here’s an important ‘handicapping note’ about the actresses that have been ‘Bond girls’ in the past. They’re usually an ‘up and coming actress’ or otherwise have a lower profile and are seldom big stars. Some of them could be considered ‘big stars’ in retrospect–Ursula Andress went on to superstardom but ‘Dr. No’ was her first major US film role. In fact, you can make a compelling case that her entrance in the film wearing a white bikini is the exact moment that made her a star. Diana Rigg was the ‘Bond girl’ for the film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ but her status as a ‘big star’ is debatable. She had just left the cast of the British TV show ‘The Avengers’ and was definitely a star in the UK but not so much in the US where the show didn’t become a big hit. She became a cult icon decades later as a new generation of fans discovered the film via syndication. Jill St. John (Diamonds Are Forever) was a well known actress in her day but falls short of ‘superstar’ status. Halle Berry is in the same spot and particularly in 2002 when she did ‘Die Another Day’.
A few actresses have made more than one appearance as a ‘Bond girl’. Sylvia Trench is the only to do so in the same role since she was originally cast to be Bond’s long term girlfriend but the producers gave this idea the ax after two films. Maud Adams, Martine Beswick and Nadja Regin have also made two Bond appearances though in different roles. The current favorite to be the next Bond girl is Australian actress Margot Robbie. She’s worked a lot in both film and TV in Australia but is best known in the US for her recent portrayal of the villainous Harley Quinn in ‘Suicide Squad’:
Next ‘Bond Girl’:
Margot Robbie: +450
Emily Blunt: +1600
Daisy Ridley: +1200
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: +800
Priyanka Chopra: +1000
Gal Gadot: +1000
Rosamund Pike: +2500
Emily Ratajkowski: +2000
Jennifer Lawrence: +800
Keira Knightley: +2500
Emma Watson: +2000
Vanessa Hudgens: +2500
Gillian Anderson: +2000
Ruth Negga: +2000
Katheryn Winnick: +2000
Alyssa Sutherland: +2500
Jessalyn Gilsig: +2500
Emilia Clarke: +2000
Sophie Turner: +2500
Natalie Dormer: +1600
Rose Leslie: +3300
Angelina Jolie: +1600
Elizabeth Banks: +1600
Hayley Atwell: +1600
Ruby Rose +1600