The Story Behind Denise Richards' Polarizing Bond Girl inThe World Is Not Enough,25 Years Later

Mar. 15, 2025

From Left: Denise Richards in 1999’s ‘The World Is Not Enough;’ and on ‘Watch What Happens Live’.Photo:getty (2)

getty (2)

Debuting in theaters on Nov. 19, 1999,The World Is Not EnoughmarkedPierce Brosnan’sthird turn as James Bondfollowing the success ofGoldenEyeandTomorrow Never Dies. In the actor’s 1999 film, the MI6 agent finds himself tasked with defusing an international power struggle over an oil pipeline while protecting the grown daughter of a murdered tycoon.

Denise Richards in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ in 1999.Keith Hamshere/Getty

Keith Hamshere/Getty

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As a result, a studio executive insisted that Christmas be American. “Sophie Marceau was clearly somebody for European audiences and very important to the movie overseas and the overseas aspect of a Bond movie is huge. It made sense to have somebody in the other part who was more known in America,” Lindsay Doran of United Artists said, perSome Kind of Hero.

The character was originally written as a French-Polynesian woman working as an insurance investigative agent for Lloyd’s of London, according toSome Kind of Hero. However, because Brosnan, now 71, was set to star in a remake ofThe Thomas Crown Affairwith Rene Russo also playing an insurance investigator, the studio asked that her profession be changed.

PerSome Kind of Hero, rewrites attempted “to make Jones more convincing as a nuclear physicist, but in retrospect [Dana Stevens, who did an uncredited rewrite to punch up the female roles] felt the character was still not entirely believable.”

Looking back on her audition, Richards told theSpyHardpodcastin 2023 — about one year ahead of the film’s 25th anniversary — that she met Brosnan “for the first time doing a screen test,” adding that the whole process was “very daunting and intimidating. As an actress it’s scary. I was so nervous, I had such anxiety.”

While Richards — whose most notable roles at the time wereStarship TroopersandWild Things— landed the part, other actresses were considered. Among them were Natasha Henstridge, who said she “met with everyone for the role,” andTiffani Thiessen, who revealed that she “got very close” to being cast.

“One thing that I always wanted to do was be a Bond Girl. I tested but didn’t get it. It was also probably the hardest rejection, because I’m such a fan of the movies. It was between me and two other actresses at the time,” Thiessensaid in 2014.

Pierce Brosnan and Denise Richard in 1999’s ‘The World Is Not Enough’.Keith Hamshere/Sygma via Getty

Keith Hamshere/Sygma via Getty

However, her “mom was a huge fan,” she told theNew York Postin 1999, before revealing, “I was so intimidated I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’ " In fact, she struggled on her “first day of filming,” recalling, “I had two lines and I was afraid to say them because I had Judi Dench there.”

According to the outlet, Brosnan helped her through it all. “He was great, supportive, charming,” she said, remembering what it was like to film the explosive action sequences. “We had bags filled with this stuff that blows up behind you and you had to fly into a mat with the camera right in front of you,” she said. “It’s scary because everyone is wearing gel and fire suits and I’m wearing a tank top and shorts.”

During her conversation withSpyHard, Richards opened up about the filming process. “Surprisingly, we didn’t do a ton of rehearsal before we started shooting, which is why I was extremely intimidated because I was also working with Sophie Marceau who is a beautiful French actress who has done films that were very different from what I had done,” she shared. “So there were times when I didn’t feel I was worthy because I was working with Michael Apted and Pierce Brosnan and Sophie Marceau. I would be scared sometimes going to work.”

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As she explained toUSA Todayin 2012, “there’s not too many scientists who run around in little shorts with a tattoo. So many people made fun of how I was dressed when the movie came out. 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.”

Denise Richards and Pierce Brosnan in 1999’s ‘The World Is Not Enough’.Keith Hamshere/Sygma via Getty

PerSpyHard, Richards added that she “just felt that [Christmas] was strong and feisty and fun and didn’t care what she looked like.”

However, she said the backlash became too much. “It was very hard when that movie came out because I did get a lot of flack for it and it was not easy for me with the magnitude of the press that I did. And to go out there knowing people were making fun of me, that was the first time in my career that I had to deal with something like that,” she recalled on the podcast.

The actress added, “It was very, very difficult for me and I just had to put a smile on my face and go out and do talk shows and then travel the world. I would go to my hotel room and cry because the reviews were making fun of me and saying stuff. It was very, very difficult.”

Despite that, Richards said in 2012 that she “was so honored to be part of such an iconic franchise.” She added, “The biggest part I got out of it was being part of something so iconic.” And polarizing or not, her role as Christmas Jones continues to be one of the most memorable — and most talked about — parts of the James Bond franchise.

source: people.com