Who Was Lashana Lynch Before Becoming 007?

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Lashana Lynch recently made her debut as the first female 007 in the James Bond franchise. The role also represents a step forward towards Black representation on the big screen and Lynch is certainly aware of how important this moment is.

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For the British actress, the role also shows how far she’s come in Hollywood, especially considering she’s only made her debut several years back.

Lashana Lynch First Appeared In Shonda Rhimes’ Ill-Fated Series

After working on several British productions, Lync auditioned for Rhimes’ period drama Still Star-Crossed. At that time, she was reading for the part though she had no idea that it was for Shondaland. “I auditioned, sent the tape in and got a Skype meeting with the pilot’s director. And when I got through my agent was like, ‘You’re going to have a Skype meeting with Shonda.’ And I was like, ‘Which Shonda?! I know you’re not talking about Shonda Rhimes?! Oh my God,’” the actress recalled while speaking with Essence. “I didn’t actually get to speak with her, but I heard they loved me from the first take.”

And while the story behind the series was initially puzzling for some, Lynch got it straight away. “At the end of the day, it's all about the story,” she told Marie Claire. “Once you get to episode three, there's no questioning the fact that Juliet is Rosaline's cousin—and that Rosaline's black and Juliet's white. When the next thing is cast that's just like this, we won't even question it.”

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Unfortunately, Still Star-Crossed suffered from poor ratings. After moving it to Saturday timeslot, ABC decided to cancel the series.

She Knew She Wanted To Join Marvel

Despite the cancellation of Rhimes’ series, Lynch was determined to stay in the game. This time, she had a superhero goal. She had been vocal about this dream, even once mentioning it to her Still Star-Crossed co-stars. “I remember telling them, ‘The next thing I want to do is play a superhero. I want to aim for Marvel.’ And they were like, ‘Uhhh, OK,’” she told British GQ. “You guys don’t know me. If I say I want to walk through this wall, then I’m probably going to do it within about two years.”

Perhaps, what they didn’t realize was that Lynch had been working towards the Marvel Cinematic Universe this whole time. In fact, Marvel’s casting director, Sarah Finn, has already seen the actress numerous times but nothing had come of it just yet. “Sarah Finn at Marvel knew me in and out because I’d taped for many roles, big and small,” Lynch revealed. “Black Panther – I won’t say [whom], because I’ve got friends in the film – Venom, an Avengers film... There were a good handful.” Fortunately, the right Marvel vehicle for Lynch eventually came along. That said, she essentially got the part by chance.

When Marvel was casting for Captain Marvel, they initially had DeWanda Wise in mind for the part of Maria Rambeau. Wise, however, had schedule conflicts and Marvel had to look elsewhere. As fate would have it, Lynch was in Los Angeles doing auditions for tv pilots around this time and she was asked to test for the film. Later on, she learned that she got the part while hanging out with friends. “I heard ‘congratulations’ and literally just dropped on the ground, crying in sobs of tears,” the actress recalled while speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “My friends were filming me, just jumping up and down.”

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Captain Marvel went on to earn over $1 billion at the box office and a sequel is already in the works. However, it’s unclear if Lynch will be making a return since it was revealed in the Disney+ series WandaVision that Maria had already died around the time that her daughter Monica (Teyonah Parris) had disappeared due to the blip. Despite this development, Lynch teased that Maria’s return is still possible. “Weirder things have happened in the franchise,” she told Los Angeles Times.

Prior To Filming Her ‘Bond’ Film, Lashana Lynch Starred In This Action Comedy First

Following her Marvel project, Lynch went on to star in the film The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud alongside Scott Adkins and Martin Owen. Here, she plays the evil sorceress Shee. And compared to Captain Marvel, it seems that things got a little more physical for Lynch here. As Adkins has told Looper, “I didn't get that much to do with her, although I did give her a good kick in the face at the end of the movie — not a real one, that's how I deal with the new 007.” Lynch booked her Bond role shortly after.

Following No Time to Die, Lynch is set to appear next in the upcoming drama Ear for Eye. Earlier this year, it was also announced that she has been cast to play Miss Honey in the upcoming Netflix film Matilda. Of the iconic role, the actress said, “It’s a real honor to be playing someone that was like the world’s perfect teacher.” Lynch has also been attached to two other film projects. Indeed, she’s on a roll.

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