'I'm too old - but it would have been great!' Dame Helen Mirren, 72, insists she's missed her chance to play James Bond but would have loved to do it... after Halle Berry says 007 shouldn't be female
On Tuesday, Hollywood actress and former Bond Girl Halle Berry insisted that the role of James Bond is best left as it is - a man.
But Dame Helen Mirren has waded into the debate and disagreed with her.
The 72-year-old actress has admitted she would have relished the role in her younger years, but that she thinks that ship has sailed now.
Scroll down for video
'I'm too old - but it would have been great!' Dame Helen Mirren, 72, insists she's missed her chance to play James Bond but would have loved to do it
Iconic: Halle starred as Jinx Johnson alongside 007 Pierce Brosnan in the 2002 Bond movie Die Another Day, and appeared in one of the most memorable Bond girl scenes when she emerged from the sea in an orange two-piece bikini
'I'm too old,' she has declared of the prospect of there ever being a female Bond - which has been a matter of gossip for some time and only heightened by the recent casting of Jodie Whittaker as a female Doctor Who.
'In my youth, that would have been great of course. But that time was different; we could never even have imagined a woman playing that role,' Helen went on, speaking to the Daily Telegraph.
Just a day before, it was revealed that Halle Berry doesn't think a woman should play the iconic role of 007.
The 50-year-old actress, who was in the 2002 film Bond movie Die Another Day, joined the debate about the iconic British spy.
Joining the debate: Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, Halle Berry, 50, revealed that she doesn't think a woman should play James Bond
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, Halle admitted: 'I want women to be tough but I don't know if Bond should be a woman.'
'I mean, that series is steeped in history, you know from Ian Fleming's stories. I don't think you can change Bond to a woman.
'We can create a new Bond character that's a woman, and give her a new name, based on that theory, but I don't know if Bond should be a woman.'
Halle starred as NSA agent Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson alongside 007 Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day.
Steeped in history: She added that because the series is 'steeped in history', from Ian Fleming's classic novels, it wouldn't be apt to change the gender of the main character, 'I don't think you can change Bond to a woman'
She appeared in one of the most memorable Bond girl scenes when she emerged from the sea in an orange two-piece bikini complete with a white belt and knife.
The scene was a homage to the white bikini Ursula Andress wore as Honey Ryder in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No, a swimsuit so iconic it has its own Wikipedia page.
Meanwhile, Dame Helen spoke about her own success, which comes as a shock to her to this day, thanks to her upbringing, she said: 'Of course, it's wonderful to have success, and the thing I love most about it is economic freedom.
'Coming from a background where there was no money - and if you didn't work, there was nothing to live on - to have bought my own house and to have never been in debt or on welfare is something I feel proud of.
'But there's a part of me that thinks I should have been a struggling artist.'
Most watched News videos
- 'Will and Harry won't be upset': Ken Wharfe on Princess Diana tapes
- Ivanka Trump hosts small business owners at White House
- Plane sailing: Cute toddler fist-bumps passengers on his flight
- Palma airport chaos: Guard shortage leads to 'ridiculous' scene
- Sun bed dashers go crazy for poolside seats in Gran Canaria
- Brave young woman strides into gang fight to save teenager
- SUV flips onto it's roof into oncoming traffic in horrific crash
- Couple with child make lucky escape as car crashes around them
- The It girl bride celebrates honeymoon swimming with dolphins
- Airport ground staff caught throwing suitcases onto luggage belt
- Video shows holidaymakers in huge passport queue at Palma airport
- Ballsy behaviour: Baby goat jumps onto a massive bouncy ball
- EXCLUSIVE: Larsa and NBA legend Scottie Pippen's divorce...
- Bernie Ecclestone's fury as Petra chooses to cancel her...
- EXCLUSIVE: Thank you, thank you very much - Newly dumped...
- Billionaire Brandy Melville boss who went on a 17-hour...
- World's grumpiest royal strikes again: Danish Queen's...
- Dental doctrine: Indonesian teenagers have their canine...
- Mother-of-four who lost one of her twins to an early...
- Bride-to-be, 21, died in agony from a perforated stomach...
- Grieving mother is hit by a double tragedy after losing...
- Grief-stricken relatives join funeral cortege of...
- Delighted mother pays tribute to Nando's waitress who...
- Dubai's record-breaking 1,100ft Torch Tower 'full of...
- Jogger thought he was being stabbed in the head by a...
- Model, 28, who tried to steal £1,000 worth of designer...
- Police hunting missing Corrie McKeague examine BONES...
- BREAKING NEWS: Blade-runner Oscar Pistorius is rushed to...
- Tourist tells of his horror after his Tenerife hotel room...
- EXCLUSIVE: Luann de Lesseps caught Tom D'Agostino...