Femme Ital: Naomie Harris is James Bond’s New Island Girl

Words by Jesse Serwer

“Calypso,” the dreadlocked Obeah woman from the Pirates of the Caribbean series, is kind of scary looking but the actress who plays her, Naomie Harris, is easy on the eyes. Now, Harris, who has also starred in the high-concept zombie film 28 Days Later and the Miami Vice movie, has landed a role that will let us see her in a more appealing, feminine light. The half-Trini, half-Jamaican, British-born actress will play a James Bond girl in Skyfall, the 23rd installment in Sir Ian Fleming’s series, in a sense bringing the series back to its island roots. More specifically, Harris will be the first Black woman to play the staple Miss Moneypenny character. The last two Bond films starring Daniel Craig, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, were the best in decades—with Harris (not to mention Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes) involved, we expect this one to be even better.