If Olivia Colman does indeed end up in the “James Bond” franchise, it won’t be her first experience working within a major piece of intellectual property. Earlier this year, Colman joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ miniseries “Secret Invasion,” joining Samuel L. Jackson and playing Sonya Falsworth (who, as it happens, is an MI-6 agent like M), after she apparently begged her agent to put her forward for an MCU role. Sonya and Jackson’s character Nick Fury are longtime frenemies, and when the two spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about joining forces to play old acquaintances, they talked about Colman’s approach to the character and her complicated working relationship with Fury.
“The interesting way that Olivia decided to play Sonya changed what our dynamic was,” Jackson said of his co-star. “There’s a way where she could have been contentious. She could have been a very nasty person about who he is and what his inabilities are at this time, but she chose to go cozy and fuzzy … all those things changed the dynamic. It allowed us to work together in a harmony that’s more satisfying to the story and our backstory than any other way. They could have been just enemies and not frenemies.”
Dame Judi Dench was obviously excellent as M, but she did bring a stern quality to the role. Perhaps if Colman plays the character next, she could take a similar approach as she did while portraying Sonya Falworth.
