Casino Royale is the first hard reboot in the Bond franchise and set a high benchmark for the series. 

While an adaption and also an update of the last remaining Ian Fleming Bond novel, Casino Royale’s key to success is the relationship between James Bond and Vesper Lynd. Bond’s relationship with Lynd and her tragic suicide at the end is formative on Bond and his treatment of women throughout the rest of the novels, which is mirrored in Craig’s five Bond films. 

Vesper would set up Bond’s emotional distance from women and, in Craig’s five films, this would be reconciled with his love for Madeleine Swann, who is inspired by Tracy Bond in the novels.

Craig ushered in a grittier tone for the franchise and began to explore the iconic character’s psyche which Fleming laid bare in his novels. Craig’s more vulnerable and emotionally-complex portrayal of Bond required a female foil with as much depth. In the 2006 movie, the characterization of Vesper Lynd is more complex than Fleming’s novel. She often acts as his conscience pointing out his deficiencies, but she is ultimately won over by his courage, charisma, and willingness to put his life on the line to protect her. 

Eva Green Was The Only Choice

Image: Danjaq via MovieStillsDB.com

It was clear Bond producer Barbara Broccoli needed to find a young actress just as charismatic as Craig, but who also possessed vulnerability, strength, and an emotional intelligence that is beyond her years. In the book Nobody Does It Better, Broccoli explains how Eva Green caught her attention as the only candidate to play Vesper:

“We had seen Eva Green in Kingdom of Heaven and The Dreamers and we thought that she was fantastic. The thing is that this character of Vesper, the way that it was written in the book and in the screenplay … I mean, in Bond lore she is the most important character because she affects his life forever. So we had to cast it really well.”

But Lynd had other ideas. She didn’t want to be another decorative Bond Girl, “another beautiful girl for Bond” as she put it.

Green told her agent to tell Broccoli she was unavailable for the role because she was filming another film in France.

Broccoli was unbending. She had found her lead actress. Persistence would win over Green, said Broccoli:

“I kept saying to the casting director, ‘Just ring her agent every week.’”

The continual badgering worked. Green relented, especially after scheduling conflicts between her other film and Casino Royale resolved.

An Accent Problem in Green’s Screen Test

Image: Danjaq via MovieStillsDB.com

A new problem arose during Green’s screen test with Daniel Craig.

Broccoli may have loved Green in films like Kingdom of Heaven, but director Martin Campbell had misgivings about her due to her heavy French accent.

Vesper is British and Green isn’t. According to Campbell, there was even “some mumbling at the screen test.”

Green, who hadn’t wanted the role, now coveted the part and was stressed by Campbell’s comments.

“There was some mumbling at the screen test, that’s not a good sign, then I went to New York, four days after, and my agent called me and said, actually you have to come back straight away to Prague and audition again, because they’re not fully satisfied.

So, I was crying. It’s very stressful, and I didn’t know what was wrong, but they eventually said, ‘It’s just the English, darling; you just have to work on the English.’”

When Daniel Craig met Green, he was convinced that she was the only person for the role, saying “when [Green] came in, there was no decision for me. She brings something to it that’s great.” Craig’s final seal of approval helped Green clinch the part.

But without Green, it’s doubtful the on-screen chemistry between Bond and Vesper could have been matched with another actress.