As Amazon MGM Studios closes in on choosing the next actor to play James Bond, former Bond actress Alison Papworth says she hopes the studio sticks with tradition and casts a man in the role.
“If they’re true to the books, I hope it’s a man,” Papworth told Fox News Digital. “A man, just a man. Yes, I think it would be very strange if it were a woman. Don’t you? It would be a totally different thing. So I hope it’s another man, another gorgeous man.”
Papworth, who appeared alongside Roger Moore in 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” and 1983’s “Octopussy,” now works as a director at Camhall Design & Consultancy, a London-based interior design firm with completed projects in London, New York, Boston and the Bahamas.
Oldman weighs in on Lowden
Papworth’s comments came before actor Gary Oldman said on “The Morning Show” that his “Slow Horses” costar Jack Lowden could be next in line for the role.
“Jack, it’s been rumored that he’s on the shortlist,” Oldman said. “We’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack.”
Oldman later clarified his remarks, according to Deadline: “There’s six people on a shortlist. I heard a rumor that they’ve picked James Bond, but they haven’t announced it yet, which is their prerogative. So I do not know [who has got the part], but I’m hoping it’s Jack.”
Amazon MGM Studios took creative control of the Bond franchise in 2025 after forming a joint venture with longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. In May, the studio confirmed the search for the next 007 was underway. Denis Villeneuve is set to direct, with Steven Knight writing the screenplay. Daniel Craig last played the role in 2021’s “No Time to Die.” People magazine has reported that Paul Mescal, Jacob Elordi and Jack O’Connell are among the names rumored to be under consideration for what will be the 26th Bond film in the franchise’s more than 60-year history.
Life on set, from Rio to a freezing Pinewood soundstage
Papworth recalled being flown first class to Rio de Janeiro during filming, where she tasted caviar for the first time while the cast enjoyed vodka between takes. She also remembered watching Moore play backgammon on set.
Not every location was glamorous. “It was the middle of winter doing the scenes for ‘Octopussy’ where we were fighting in the castle,” she said. “We learned to stunt fight, and it was supposed to be in India. But we were at Pinewood Studios, and it was below freezing. All the girls had these red bodysuits on with big capes. We were so cold, we had thermals on underneath, so we probably looked about five pounds heavier.”
Papworth said she didn’t expect to land a second Bond role, recalling that a publicity director had once warned her that actresses were typically discarded after a single film. But Barbara Broccoli, daughter of longtime producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, had other plans.
“You can imagine my surprise when I got the call from Barbara Broccoli saying, ‘You’re on the next one, Alison,'” she said. “And it stayed with me. Bond has stayed with me. It’s changed my life. My two best friends, I met one on ‘For Your Eyes Only,’ Vanya Seager; she was another Bond girl. And I met my other best friend, Carole Ashby, on ‘Octopussy.’ Carol was there when my baby was born. Vanya and I, we speak every day. I speak to them both every day.”
She also recalled Moore fondly. “He was an absolute gentleman,” Papworth said. “I only have fabulous, fabulous memories of him being funny, telling the best jokes. Very dry, very droll.” She remembered a stuntman smuggling beef drippings in his luggage for Moore while filming in India, calling it a detail that “stuck in my mind all those years later.”
After her two Bond films, Papworth continued acting and modeling before shifting to interior design in her 30s, a business she built with her husband and continued after his death. She also helped launch Lustre & Lustre London, a luxury cleaning service, and has worked with actress Joan Collins to raise money for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, which supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families across parts of London and Surrey.
Papworth said she still enjoys attending Bond fan events and signings decades after her films were released. “Bond fans are very good at tracking you down,” she said, recalling her first signing at a Birmingham exhibition center alongside “Star Wars” and “Doctor Who” memorabilia. “There were all ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ astronauts, boxers, and little me.”
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