Does adding in lust make a Bond villain creepier?
Javier Bardem wanted Raoul Silva’s interest in James Bond to get personal. During a script reading for 2012’s Skyfall, he pitched director Sam Mendes a villain who wanted to have sex with Daniel Craig’s 007.
Recounting the conversation at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2026, Bardem described his suggestion: “What about something like, besides destroying the world, he wants to have sex with Bond.”
Mendes was open to the idea, but needed approval. Bardem recalled the director saying, “Let me talk to the studio.” The studio supported the choice, which Bardem praised as brave.
That sexual threat plays out while Bond’s tied to a chair. Silva unbuttons Bond’s shirt, then moves his hands down Bond’s thighs and says, “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
Bond replies, “What makes you think this is my first time?”
Bardem said the scene stayed in audiences’ memories because it put Bond in an unfamiliar situation. He singled out Bond’s response for praise, calling “the way he comes out of it” brilliant.