Lashana Lynch will play the first Black female 007 in the James Bond movie "No Time to Die," Harper's Bazaar confirmed in a new profile of the actress.
While the confirmation is new, news of Lynch's role leaked last year, leading to a backlash from people online who weren't ready for a Black woman as a secret agent.
"For a week, she deleted her social-media apps, meditated and saw no one but family, while comforting herself with the knowledge that the aggressive comments were ultimately not personal," Yrsa Daley-Ward wrote of Lynch.
"I am one Black woman -- if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse," Lynch said. "I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I'm a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary."
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Lynch in "No Time to Die." United Artists
According to the Harper's Bazaar story, Lynch's character, Nomi, takes over the 007 spy code name when James Bond (Daniel Craig) disappears following the events of "Spectre."
Daley-Ward wrote that Lynch worked closely with the "No Time to Die" co-screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge (the creator of "Fleabag") to have Nomi be a "fresh female perspective" in the male-focused franchise.
Lynch also said there was another goal in having a role like this in such an anticipated movie.
"I didn't want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent," she said. "I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented. In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I'm presenting needs to be 100 percent authentic."
"No Time To Die" is set to be in theaters on April 2.
