'No Time to Die' actor Ben Whishaw wants a gay James Bond: 'That would be real progress'

• Daniel Craig will make his last appearance as James Bond in the upcoming "No Time to Die."
• Plenty of actors have been suggested for the role, including Tom Hiddleston and Tom Hardy.
• But Q actor Ben Whishaw thinks it would "be real progress" if an openly gay actor were to play Bond.

With Daniel Craig's final film as James Bond, "No Time to Die," out soon, the conversation around who could or should be the next 007 will no doubt intensify.

From Tom Hardy to Henry Golding to Henry Cavill, there are plenty of options for the next Bond. But current "No Time to Die" actor Ben Whishaw, who plays Q in the 25th Bond movie, has other ideas.

When asked if he would like to see a gay actor play an openly gay Bond in an interview with Attitude Magazine, Whishaw said: "God, can you imagine? I mean, it would be quite an extraordinary thing. Of course I would like to see that."

"I really believe that we should be working towards a world where anyone can play anything and it would be really thrilling if it didn't matter about someone's sexuality to take on a role like this," he added. "I think that would be real progress."

Whishaw, who's making his third appearance as Q in "No Time to Die," singled out a couple of openly gay actors in particular that he thinks would be great in the role of 007 - namely, "Beauty and the Beast" actor Luke Evans and "Bridgerton" star Jonathan Bailey.

"They're both actors who it seems would be really capable of doing it and would be ideal casting. And it would be thrilling to see either of them do it," Whishaw said. "I wonder if either of them would want to - because it's not just the demands of the role, but it's like the demands of being Bond in the world and what it symbolizes and how it would change your life."

Evans has been suggested for the role before, while Bailey would have some serious competition from his "Bridgerton" costar Regé-Jean Page, who is many people's favorite choice for the role.

For his part, current 007, Craig, has no interest in who takes on the iconic role next. In a red carpet interview at the Bond premiere in London, a reporter asked the actor who he thinks should take on the role.

Craig bluntly replied: "Not my problem."

The actor also didn't have much to offer in the way of advice for whoever does end up donning the tux as Bond. When asked him what he would say to the new Bond, Craig simply said: "Don't be shit."

Other actors who have been touted for the role include Tom Hiddelston, Idris Elba, Cillian Murphy, Michael Fassbender, and Richard Madden.