Empire UK

He may not wield the most authority at MI6 but

loyal Chief Of Staff Tanner fi nds himself in the

unlikely position of longest-serving member of

the secret service engine room. Since Kinnear’s

fi rst appearance in Quantum Of Solace Tanner

has lost one M but gained another along with

a Q and a Moneypenny to complete the set.

“In Quantum he wasn’t really Chief Of Staff”

says Kinnear of Tanner’s brief history in the Craig

era (the character appeared in four previous

Bond fi lms). “He was a composite fi gure really

and I think the writers called him ‘Tanner’ out of

respect for the franchise. He seemed to be M’s

PA and in Skyfall he’d risen a bit in seniority. In

Spectre he seems to have risen up again so he

has an authority about him now.”

Bill Tanner proves to be an infrequent

character in Ian Fleming’s novels but

interestingly he’s described as Bond’s only real

friend in the service and the two occasionally

enjoy a round of golf. “I don’t play golf” chuckles

Kinnear. “I’m not sure about Daniel he’d

probably rather go to see Liverpool play.”

Still a bromance does seem to be

blossoming. “In Quantum there was a slight

wariness of each other” Kinnear says. “Tanner

was very much the do-things-by-the-letter kind

of guy. I think in Spectre they’ve grown to trust

and like each other. There’s an awareness that

they operate in totally different ways.” So we

won’t see Tanner popping a cap in any SPECTRE

ass this time round? Kinnear doesn’t think so.

“When it comes to administration logic and

organisational capabilities he’s right up there. In

terms of guns and facing down an enemy mano

a mano it might not be his strong point!” NA

If there was one item of clothing from Spectre’s
fi rst trailer that got internet tongues wagging it
wasn’t Daniel Craig’s classic ivory tux. It wasn’t
Léa Seydoux’s clingy dress. It wasn’t even
Christoph Waltz’s Dr. Evil jacket. No the star of
the sartorial show was a humble striped knitted
jumper seen keeping Ben Whishaw’s Q cosy in
the nose-dribbling chill of the Austrian Alps.
“I don’t actually think it’s something I would
wear myself” Whishaw admits. “But it certainly
looks good on Q! Trendy but also somehow
nerdy.” Unwittingly the actor has described his
version of MI6’s quartermaster in a nutshell. In
Skyfall the then 31-year-old delivered a popular
take on the character after a decade-long hiatus.
“Q’s arc in this fi lm is one of exasperation
with Bond” he says “which turns into something
much more openly admiring. Everybody’s loyalty
to Bond is challenged but then reaffi rmed and Q
ends up with a realisation that Bond is operating
on a whole different level.” Such is Q’s loyalty he
absconds to Austria without even asking M for
annual leave. “Yeah he’s gone rogue” Whishaw
reveals. “He goes there out of desperation to try
and bring Bond back. Everyone is concerned for
Bond’s mental health. We think he’s losing it! But
of course he’s not really.”
By virtue of both intelligent scripting and
brilliant acting Whishaw’s is a more complex
Q than Desmond Llewelyn’s beloved old goat.
“He’s somebody who quietly thinks he’s cleverer
than everybody else and probably is” he refl ects.
“There’s a kind of arrogance an awkwardness
with other people. What’s fascinating is the
sense of secrecy inevitably forced upon them
by their jobs but it must suit them on a personal
level. There’s something withheld or unexpressed.
Q especially he’s a bit of a mystery.” NA

If you ever happen to see Naomie Harris on the

Tube don’t be alarmed — or encouraged — if

she seems to be eyeing you up. Turns out she’s

just doing some spying on the sly. “On Skyfall

we got the opportunity to speak with a spy”

she says. “He was more like something out of

a John le Carré novel but he said ‘You would

be a prime candidate for a spy.’ I’ve had people

on the Tube tell me their life stories. I’m generally

good at getting information out of people.”

Funnily enough her next role the female lead

in Our Kind Of Traitor is literally something out

of a John le Carré novel but about her second

stint as MI6 agent Eve she stays suitably tight-

lipped. “It’s very much a lone mission Bond is

out on his own and he has to call in our support.”

And of Eve herself? “She’s now part of a pack.”

Spectre may be Harris’ second Bond but

it feels like her fi rst. After all in Skyfall she was

simply known as Eve her surname mysteriously

redacted. Until the end of the movie that is when

she was revealed as the latest incarnation of Miss

Moneypenny M’s PA and 007’s perennial one

that got away. “It’s much easier to do interviews

without having to basically lie” she laughs.

So what of Moneypenny this time round?

“I see her with that shroud of history” says the

39 year old “but she’s a modern version of that.

She’s a departure. Her history is very different

and that makes her relationship with Bond very

different. There’s a respect between them.”

Did Harris have to brush up on her shorthand

for Spectre? She laughs. “Sam asked me if I’d

like to go on a typing course. ‘No I would not

Sam thank you.’ She does spend a lot of time

in the offi ce but that doesn’t necessarily mean

she doesn’t get called out into the fi eld...” CH