Helen Mirren on a female James Bond: It just doesn’t work

London, Aug 19 (PTI) Helen Mirren says a female James Bond “just doesn’t work”.

While promoting her upcoming film “The Thursday Murder Club” alongside former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, the acclaimed actor weighed in on discussions about the new Bond casting.

"I'm such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy, you can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else,” she told Saga magazine.

Brosnan, who played the globe-trotting fiction spy inspired by Ian Fleming's books in four films -- "GoldenEye" (1995), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "The World Is Not Enough" (1999) and "Die Another Day" (2002) -- said he wishes the team well.

“I’m so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character,” he added..

In a previous interview with The London Standard, Mirren argued that women-centric Secret Service stories should be based on real life events and people.

“Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been,” she said.

“So I would tell real stories about extraordinary women who’ve worked in that world,” she said while criticising James Bond for being “drenched and born out of profound sexism”.

Mirren is known for her roles in films such as “The Queen”, “Gosford Park” and “The Last Station”. Most recently, she was seen in the British crime drama “MobLand”.

A versatile and senior actor, the 80-year old has received several accolades, including an Oscar for Best Actress for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in the film “The Queen” in 2006. PTI COR BK BK