After stunt-heavy roles in ‘The Woman King’ and ‘No Time to Die’, Lashana Lynch was ready for something less physically demanding.
Lynch told Variety, “I was very aware — hyper aware — affecting the legacy move that is being a part of ‘No Time to Die,’ which was just such a wonderful a massive deal for the world.” She added, “But then I read the first three episodes and was completely drawn in.”
In ‘The Day of the Jackal,’ Lynch plays Bianca, a detective obsessively hunting an enigmatic assassin known only as the Jackal (played by Eddie Redmayne).
Although the series, which premiered on November 7 on Sky in the UK and Peacock in the US, features plenty of action scenes, Lynch decided not to perform her own stunts this time. “Respectfully — I love the stunt industry, and I think they should all be celebrated, especially women,” she said.
Instead, Lynch focused on acting and producing, joining the project as an executive producer alongside Redmayne.
Part of her vision for the series was to keep it grounded. “I’ve done weaponry before, and it’s tough, but in every given moment I thought, ‘Gosh, these chases really have to read as completely realistic,’” said Lynch. “And I don’t want anyone to glorify anything.”
“I haven’t heard. I really haven’t heard,” Lynch said about the next installment from Bond producers Eon. “And it’s very interesting to be in a position where I’m part of this world, and everyone—or at least some people—assume that I know. I genuinely don’t! I really don’t. But it’s as intriguing to me as it is to everybody else.”
Despite being done with stuntwork, she said “If there’s enough story there that makes sense then I’m sure audiences will be able to have a really cool experience seeing Nomi again,” she says. “But I genuinely do not know. It’s left in the air.”
Lashana Lynch is open to returning to the Bond franchise, reprising her role as 007 agent Nomi, who was poised to take over from Daniel Craig at the end of ‘No Time to Die.’