Lashana Lynch Talks About "Abuse" She Faced After Being Named First Black Woman 007

Last year, word spread that Lashana Lynch would be the first Black and female Agent 007.

In July 2019, multiple outlets broke the news that the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die, would feature a Black female Agent 007. Lashana Lynch, a 31-year-old British actress, will assume the title in a pivotal scene, and attempt to bring the old 007--Daniel Craig--out of retirement. As expected, Lynch was the target of a deluge of online harassment, leading to her deleting her social media accounts.

"I am one Black woman," Lynch says in the cover story of Harper's Bazaar UK, "if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse. I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I'm a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary."

Despite the vitriol she's faced, Lynch believes she made the right decision and is grateful for the opportunity.

"I feel grateful that I get to challenge those narratives," she said. "We're moving away from toxic masculinity, and that's happening because women are being open, demanding and vocal, and calling out misbehavior as soon as we see it."

No Time to Die was originally scheduled for an April 2020 release. The movie was postponed worldwide twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, it was announced that the film has been delayed to April 2, 2021, "in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience."