When No Time to Die closed the chapter on Daniel Craig’s 15-year reign as James Bond, it didn’t just end an era—it detonated a cultural fault line. For the first time in over half a century of cinema, 007 was allowed to cry, to love deeply, and to face irreversible loss. For some viewers, this was unforgivable. For Eva Green, it was revolutionary.
As backlash erupted from a vocal minority accusing Craig of making Bond “weak” and “sentimental,” Green—who portrayed Vesper Lynd, Bond’s great love and emotional origin point—responded with blistering clarity. “It’s ridiculous that you’re attacking Daniel Craig just because he dared to let James Bond cry and feel pain like a real, flesh-and-blood human being,” she said, cutting straight through what she described as toxic, extremist expectations.
A Soulmate Speaks
Green’s defense carried unique weight. Her character in Casino Royale wasn’t just a Bond girl—Vesper Lynd reshaped the franchise. She cracked Bond open emotionally, and her loss haunted him for the remainder of Craig’s tenure. According to Green, that lingering grief was not a flaw in Craig’s Bond, but his defining strength.
She pointed to the immense psychological pressure Craig endured while dismantling what she called the “toxic wall of masculinity” that had encased the character for over 50 years. In her view, allowing Bond to suffer publicly wasn’t weakness—it was courage.
Tearing Down the 50-Year Wall
From the start, Craig’s Bond was different. Gone was the untouchable, smirking fantasy figure. In his place stood a man shaped by trauma, loss, and consequence. That arc reached its emotional peak under director Cary Joji Fukunaga, when Bond became not just a lover, but a father.
For many critics, this “Dad Bond” was a step too far. Green strongly disagreed. She praised the shift as the most honest depiction of masculinity the franchise had ever offered—one where protection isn’t rooted in dominance, but in love.
The controversial ending—Bond’s death—further inflamed debate. Yet Green framed it as inevitable. Once Bond allowed himself to love fully, she argued, sacrifice became the only truthful conclusion.
Exposing the Raw Truth
Green’s intervention exposed a deeper industry tension: audiences often demand that male icons remain emotionally invulnerable, frozen in time. Craig refused that bargain. By letting Bond bleed, grieve, and finally break, he transformed a myth into a man.
The chemistry between Craig and Green—especially the tragic Venice finale in Casino Royale—remains the emotional spine of the modern franchise. Her defense reaffirmed why Craig’s Bond endures: not because he never cried, but because he finally did.
Daniel Craig didn’t weaken James Bond. As Eva Green made clear, he freed him—and shattered 50 years of cinematic armor in the process.