James Bond villain recalls “tickling” Daniel Craig’s gadgets during homoerotic torture scene
Casino Royale.Though a notorious womanizer, there’s always been a queer appeal to Bond that’s drawn in a loyal LGBTQ+ following.
Maybe it’s the refined sense of style and swagger? Or maybe it’s the campy gadgets and over-the-top villains?Despite that, it wasn’t really until Daniel Craig took over the mantle in 2006—coincidentally, in the franchise reboot Casino Royale—that it ever felt like the 007 films had much to say to their gay fans.We’ll never forget the moment Craig’s Bond emerged from the ocean in a tiny blue swimsuit, showing off his ripped physique and flipping the straight male gaze-catering “Bond Girl” trope on its head.OOF.But just as memorable is a scene later on where the spy is kidnapped by his poker-playing nemesis Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) and comes to his senses completely nude, tied to a chair with the bottom cut out.The villain proceeds to torture bond by whipping a weighted rope under the chair, repeatedly thwacking it against Bond’s balls each time he refuses to answer a question.Painful to watch?
Oh yes—very. But quite kinky, no? 007 certainly wasn’t enjoying it… though it’s not a stretch to imagine BDSM enthusiasts paying a dominatrix to give them a similar treatment.We still clench up every time we watch that scene—it’s really stuck with us.
And, apparently, it’s stuck with Mikkelsen, too!The role of Le Chiffre was a major breakthrough for the Danish actor, who previously starred in a number of indies and foreign-language films.
