Roger Moore says James Bond can’t be a woman or gay man because that’s not ‘what Ian Fleming wrote’

(Picture: REX /Shutterstock)

Daniel Craig isn’t bothered who replaces him as James Bond but Roger Moore has declared that it can’t be a woman or a gay man.
The actor, who played Bond between 1974 and 1985, was criticised after he was quoted in an interview by Paris Match saying that Idris Elba couldn’t play the iconic spy because the role should be ‘English-English’.

He claimed his quotes were taken out of context but that hasn’t stopped him from speaking about Bond again.

He told The Daily Mail: ‘I have heard people talk about how there should be a lady Bond or a gay Bond. But they wouldn’t be Bond for the simple reason that wasn’t what Ian Fleming wrote.

(Picture: Getty Images)

‘It is not about being homophobic or, for that matter, racist – it is simply about being true to the character.’
Moore revealed that Timothy Dalton was his favourite Bond.
‘The films didn’t deserve him. He’d distinguished himself on the stage and did some interesting things with the part.’
The actor also claimed having villains from ‘undefined nations’ could be a problem.

(Picture: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia

 Pictures/EON Productions)

He explained: ‘There is a danger always of causing offence. I suppose you could just about get away with a villain from Burkina Faso, but that’s about it.’
The latest Bond film Spectre, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Craig as 007, is out tomorrow.