Heineken's New James Bond Commercial Marks the First Appearance of a Female Character

The video marks "the first time a Heineken character is a woman," which is so progressive because it's 2015, guys.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Just days after Spectre star and current James Bond embodier Daniel Craigcalled the iconic action hero a "sexist misogynist," Heineken has introduced a new commercial featuring what the Dutch beer company claims is Bond's very first female sidekick in the big-budget collaboration. Bond's previous pairings with Heineken, a lucrative team-up now nearly two decades strong, exclusively featured a male sidekick aiding in the notorious spy's inevitable escape from some predictably beautiful vacation spots.

“There is always a lot of criticism [about James Bond],” Hans Erik Tuijt, director of global sponsorship at Heineken, tells the Guardian. “Why not a woman? We thought it was an excellent time to introduce a woman of the world. If you look at other campaigns, it is always a man of the world that saves the day [alongside Bond]. We thought it was time to introduce a woman of the world [to the campaign]. It is the first time the Heineken character is a woman."

The new ad features waterskis, boats, enviably lint-free suits, and the unshakeable thought that Idris Elbareally should be James Bond because all of this is kind of starting to feel really old and tired. At any rate, Spectre opens on November 6.

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