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.