Eva Green’s Vesper is often cited as one of, if not the best Bond girl in the entire franchise. And it is undoubtedly Green’s portrayal of the character that made this happen. Vesper appears in 2006’s Casino Royale – the first film to star Daniel Craig as the infamous MI6 agent. One of the most notable aspects from the film is the deep relationship formed between Vesper and Bond, with the duo’s chemistry simply undeniable.
With far more emotion and depth than most Bond girls who appeared before her, the revelation of Vesper’s double agent status becomes all the more painful for the audience and Bond, who needed a woman to expose his vulnerable and emotionally-complex portrayal of the character. But some may be surprised to learn that French actress Green, who turns 45 today (July 6), was originally not interested in playing the iconic role.
Producer Barbara Broccoli was on the hunt to find a young actress who could match Craig’s charismatic charm, but also someone who could possess vulnerability and strength.
In the book, Nobody Does It Better, Broccoli explains how Eva Green was the only person she wanted to play Vesper after watching her other performances.
She wrote: “We had seen Eva Green in Kingdom of Heaven and The Dreamers and we thought that she was fantastic. The thing is that this character of Vesper, the way that it was written in the book and in the screenplay … I mean, in Bond lore she is the most important character because she affects his life forever. So we had to cast it really well.”
However, Green had other ideas as she wasn’t interested in playing “another beautiful girl for Bond”.
Broccoli was informed by Green’s agent that she was unavailable for the role due to scheduling conflicts. But Broccoli refused to take no for an answer and was sure she had found her lead actress.
The producer recalled: “I kept saying to the casting director, ‘Just ring her agent every week,'” and her persistence eventually won Green over.
Opening up about her decision to originally turn down the role, Green told The Hollywood Reporter: “I was probably a bit stupid or naive. I said, ‘Ugh, a Bond girl? What kind of prissy girl is that?’
“They also kept the script a secret. So it wasn’t until they gave me the script that I realised it was a meaty role. I didn’t see her as a ‘Bond girl’. She’s a strong character; she’s got cracks. I liked her, so of course I’ll go and audition.”