Warning: Contains SPOILERS for No Time To Die.
No Time To Die star Billy Magnussen responds to his character's twist-reveal as a villain. The newest entry in the James Bond franchise was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and features Daniel Craig in his final performance as the MI6 agent. After experiencing numerous pandemic-related release delays, No Time To Die finally opened to US audiences on October 8.
At the outset of the film proper, Bond's five-year retirement from his role as 007 is interrupted by the CIA, who are looking to recruit him for a mission related to Spectre and a missing scientist. Two agents are sent to convince him: his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffery Wright), who previously appeared in both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, and wide-eyed newcomer Logan Ash (Magnussen). While Ash professes himself to be a fan of Bond's, he is eventually revealed to be working for the film's big-bad, Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek).
Speaking with THR, Magnussen discusses how he approached his character's villainous turn, which he says he was entirely on board for. Ash's wet-behind-the-ears demeanor in his first scene was no accident, with the actor intending to draw a strong point of contrast between him and the more comfortable veterans. It also, Magnussen reveals, helped hide the No Time To Die character's true intentions:
Yeah, it was about the juxtaposition of the characters. You have Bond, who’s smooth, coy and comfortable everywhere he goes, in a sense. And then I tried to play the opposite of that: a guy who is in this world but is a little vanilla and hesitant. He doesn’t have his footing yet, but it also distracts from what the character’s real intentions are. ... [With his smiling] it's more that there’s this dark world around him, and he is getting his plan to work. He’s excited. He drank Safin’s Kool-Aid, so he’s all about pushing his agenda forward.
Though his screen time is fairly limited, Magnussen's corrupt CIA agent plays a key role in the plot of No Time To Die. After successfully orchestrating the assassination of nearly all of Spectre through Bond's mission, Ash escapes with the scientist and leaves Bond and Leiter for dead, with only the former managing to escape. Beyond filling Bond with an avenging rage that surely inspires his return to service, Ash then becomes the protagonists' key lead to tracking down Safin, with the replacement 007 Nomi (Lashana Lynch) tasked with keeping tabs on the rogue American.
While the reveal of Ash's evil intentions is not a particularly shocking betrayal, it does come as a surprise in the moment, and Magnussen's comments reveal just how much of that is down to performance. By clearly defining his character's personality in relationship to Bond's, the viewer can be convinced they understand him and his role in the story, only for the actual reason for Ash's excitable demeanor to be far more sinister. Bond fans are sure to appreciate Magnussen's effort in the supporting No Time To Die role, as his character's final showdown with Craig's super-spy supplies one of the film's most memorable moments.
Source: THR