As a woman and
person of color, British actress Lashana Lynch is making history by
taking over the highly coveted role of “007” in the next James
Bond installment. 31 year old Lynch joins several big time actors
who’ve played the iconic “007” character over the years, like
Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and Sean Connery. Lynch is breaking
through a major glass ceiling by landing this role as “007” has
always been played by a white British male actor. To learn more about
this transformative actress, check out these 8 things you need to
know about Lashana Lynch.
Lynch hit the big
screen for the first time in 2012.
Lashana got her
first major acting role in the 2012 movie “Fast Girls.”
She played character Belle Newman, and has gotten consistently bigger
roles since then.
She is of
Jamaican heritage.
A portion of the new
James Bond movie was filmed in Jamaica, which Lynch said felt like a
return to her roots. She has a Jamaican grandmother and is a part of
a vibrant Jamaican community in the UK.
She has her BA in
Acting.
Lynch is from
Hammersmith, London, and is a graduate of the ArtsEd school with an
BA Acting degree. Although she’s British, Lynch still says she is
heavily influence by her Jamaican roots.
Lynch is a lover
of travel.
A quick visit to
Lashana’s Instagram will reveal that she has an insatiable case of
wanderlust. She’s traveled to amazing places like Thailand, Mexico,
France, and Spain.
She was raised by
a single mother.
When discussing her
role of single mother and Air Force Pilot Maria Rambeau in the
Captain Marvel, Lynch said she felt close to and could relate to the
character. This is because she was brought up in a single parent
household, raised by her Jamaican mother.
Lynch auditioned
for Black Panther.
Before she landed
Captain Marvel, Lashana auditioned for Black Panther, but
didn’t make the cut.
She initially
dreamed of being a professional singer.
Before setting her
sights on acting, Lynch had her hopes set on becoming a singer. She
was even trained at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in
London, and focused almost exclusively on singing rather than acting.
She was in good company, as Amy Winehouse and Rita Ora are also
Sylvia Young alums.
Lynch loves 90’s
culture.
As a product of the era, Lynch has expressed she loves the 90’s. Captain Marvel’s 90’s setting was definitely agreeable to Lynch, especially while filming. “I did listen to quite a bit of ’90s music when I was shooting. I listen to a lot of like SWV, 702, Brandy, Monica, Jodeci, Dru Hill,” she told in one of her interviews. She has also said she is a fan of 90’s fashion as well.
