We've all been talking about the potential bisexuality of James Bond in anticipation of the latest 007 installment Skyfall. In a scene between Daniel Craig's Bond and Javier Bardem's Silva, a former MI6 agent turned villain, sexual tension abounds as Silva unbuttons Bond's shirt as he's tied-up in a chair. In response, Bond replies, "What makes you thinks this is my first time?" Nudge-nudge-wink-wink.
Well, good news: you're not reading too deeply into it. Skyfall's screenwriter John Logan and director Sam Mendes were aiming for sexual intimidation between the two characters. Still, Logan insists that Bond's same-sex slant isn't just because he himself is gay. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Logan elaborates on the scene's homoerotic undertone:
"Sam [Mendes] and I were discussing, there were so many scenes where Bond goes with the villain, whether it's Dr. No or Goldfinger or whatever, and there's been so many ways to do a cat-and-mouse and intimidate Bond, and we thought, what would truly make the audience uncomfortable is sexual intimidation; playing the sort of homoerotic card that is sort of always there subtextually with characters like Scaramanga in Man With the Golden Gun or Dr. No. So we just decided that we should play the card and enjoy it."
Hear that? That's the sound of thousands of fanfiction writers taking to Tumblr and letting the Bond and Silva relationship sail into NC-17 territory.
Craig and Bardem themselves, however, interpret the bi/gay implications of the scene more vaguely. In a Movieline interview, Craig said, "I don't see the world in sexual divisions." And Bardem explained, "It was part of the game, but it's not entirely the game." You be the judge and see the sure-to-be-iconic scene for yourself when Skyfall premieres in theaters today.
