James Bond’s infamous homoerotic Skyfall scene almost cut by studio execs
The notorious exchange between Daniel Craig's 007 and Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva was nearly axed from the 2012 film.
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Javier Bardem in Skyfall (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A line of dialogue suggesting at James Bond’s history of gay experiences was almost cut from the Skyfall, according to film producer Barbara Broccoli.
The 2012 film famously featured a homoerotic scene between Daniel Craig as Bond and Javier Bardem (and his bleached eyebrows) as the villainous cyberterrorist Raoul Silva.
In the scene, Silva ties Bond to a chair, touches his thighs, unbuttons his shirt and says the two can “eat each other, or eat everyone else.”
He then adds: “You’re trying to remember your training now, what’s the regulation to cover this? Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
To this Bond responds: “What makes you think this is my first time?”
“See? Told you”
It’s an iconic line – but almost 10 years later, Broccoli has revealed it almost ended up on the cutting room floor.
Speaking on new Apple TV+ documentary Being Bond, Broccoli explains: “We were told to cut that line by the studio and we said, ‘no, no, no.'”
She continued: “I remember on the night of the premiere, that line, just the whole place erupted. And I remember looking at the studio executive and going: ‘See? Told you.'”
Skyfall was the 23rd film in the Bond franchise and grossed $1.109 billion worldwide.
Craig will shortly return for the latest Bond flick, No Time To Die, which is set for releae on 30 September. He has played the eponymous spy since 2006.
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