Heartstopper icon Yasmin Finney wants to be the first trans Bond girl
Yasmin Finney as Elle in Heartstopper. (Netflix)
Heartstopper and Doctor Who star Yasmin Finney has her sights set on another major franchise.
In an interview with The Mirror, 18-year-old Finney said she would “love to be a trans Bond girl – or just a Bond girl in general”.
“I love James Bond,” she told the newspaper.
“Every time I watch a Bond film, I think I would love to be that cool, sexy Bond girl that has never been done before.”
Finney said she was inspired by trans actor Caroline Cossey, who appeared as an extra in the 1981 Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.
After the film’s release Cossey was outed in a newspaper. She said the experience led her to attempt suicide, saying: “I just got sick of being ashamed of something I’d never had any control over.”
She went on fight the British government for trans rights, and become the first-ever out trans Playboy model.
“Shoutout to Caroline,” said Yasmin Finney. “She has inspired me in a way to be the positive representation that James Bond never had.”
And it seems that Cossey, now 67, feels the same about actors like Finney, telling Cosmopolitan: “Times have changed so much that it’s amazing. I knew over the years when I’d see shows with gay characters that one day there would be more visibility for trans people.”
Finney, who will join Doctor Who for its upcoming 60th anniversary celebrations, recently told PinkNews that she feels she was “put on this earth to make a change” as a trans actress.
“I’m still gagged that I’m a person that gets to be the first positive representation [of trans people] in the UK media,” she said.
“Elle [Argent, Finney’s Heartstopper character] is such a beautiful character. She’s so confident and self-assured at such as young age. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on screen.
“I’m hoping that everything I do with the representation that I’m giving people, they can see themselves represented, and they can see a positive side being a queer person.”
