Movie
‘No Time To Die’ Is Asked By Campaigner To Stop Creating Disfigured Villains
“We need to campaign for change in popular culture, and film and TV.”
Tulsi Vagjiani, a campaigner from Changing Faces, is calling for the cancellation of using physically scarred characters as villains in movies. She made her voice heard amidst the promotional period for the upcoming James Bond movie, ‘No Time to Die,’ that features a scarred villain character portrayed by Rami Malek.
Speaking on Sky News, Vagjiani explained, “Often we get messages saying, ‘I’ve experienced a negative message, I’ve been compared to a villain in a film,’ myself included – I got referred to as Freddy Kreuger.”
“So the more we heard this, the more we realized we need to campaign for change in popular culture, and film and TV.”
The ambassador is a survivor with burns scar and explained that the campaign aims to eliminate discrimination against appearance. As seen on Changing Faces site, “Disadvantage and stigma can be experienced in many ways, from prolonged staring to inquisitive questions, ridicule, and being overlooked.”
Vagjiani shares, “Three years ago, we launched the same kind of concept: I Am Not Your Villain. And the British Film Institute pledged to say that they won’t be funding any further films with a villain with a disfigurement. Now here we are – you know, James Bond and yet again the villain has a disfigurement, and it just brings about really negative connotations.”
“We need to change this – not just for the generation now, but for those who are really young at the moment and going through their own journey with having a visible difference.”
Rami Malek describes his character to GQ, “When I think about Safin, I think about someone who is meticulous but measured, and there is something about that that is really unnerving and unsettling.”
“He asks you to question what you think is right, what you think is wrong, and is your interpretation of those two things as accurate as it seems to be.”
“I think you start asking questions about what evil is. And with this character especially, I find him fascinating because he can detach from empathy in order to meticulously carry out his will, and I start to wrap myself up in who that person is psychologically.”
Check the trailer that has dropped recently.
