Speaking with Variety in April 2023 at the premiere of Paper Empire, Richards, 52, said she was “panned” for her turn as a Bond Girl, and that people were “disappointed” with her performance.
“It broke my heart that people were making fun of me,” Richards recalled, noting insults often included: “Oh, really? You’re wearing shorts and you’re a nuclear scientist?”
“I’m playing a Bond girl. If I wore a lab coat and pants and a suit, then [fans] would have been upset, like, ‘Okay, why isn’t she looking like a sexy Bond girl?'” Richards said.
It’s not the first time she’s spoken out about her Bond Girl experience.
“So many people made fun of how I was dressed when the movie came out,” she told USA Today in 2012.
“That’s part of the appeal of Bond. These Bond girls are so outrageous and if I did really look like a scientist, the Bond fans would have been disappointed.”