Image by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Sing with me: How do you solve a problem like entrenched-societal-misogyny?! How do you catch egalitarianism and pin it down?

Husband and wife Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz are the latest to try to deal with ye olde flibbertigibbet known as gender inequality, through the lens of the “James Bond” franchise. As Craig, 50, prepares to once again don the tuxedo and bowtie, it does not escape some critics’ notice that, as sociologist Linda Lindsay has noted, “In four decades of James Bond films…women are depicted enjoying rape.” Tra la!

No kidding, Gemma Arterton

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Danny Boyle, who is co-writing a script for the upcoming movie and is expected to be announced as director, was asked if the film will reflect the #MeToo era. He said, “You write in real time. You acknowledge the legacy of the world [of Bond](as it were. “of Bond”) “I’ve been trying to do that gently for the past four movies and I’ll continue to do that.”

Indeed, sexagenarian Boyle and aging spy-impersonator Craig are passionate luminaries who will light our way to a better tomorrow for women, and if they are not give at least $200 million to do so we should take to the streets. And many, from actress Priyanka Chopra to the executive producer of the “Bond” movies Barbara Broccoli, have expressed interest in seeing a female Bond on the big screen.

But Craig’s wife, actress Rachel Weisz, doesn’t think so. “Why not create your own story rather than jumping on to the shoulders and being compared to all those other male predecessors?” she asked The Telegraph. “Women are really fascinating and interesting and should get their own stories.”

A novel idea, indeed. And a controversial one. Yes, women deserve stories written by them and for them. But just imagine: Rachel Weisz as a 48 year-old, Jewish, female Bond.

Nothing wrong with being “compared to all those other male predecessors” if you’re the best one.

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount