A special media showcase for 007: First Light took place on September 26, 2025 at United Cinema Toyosu in Tokyo, during the week of TGS 2025. Our summary focuses on actor highlights as reported by Dengeki Online.
The Making of a Young Bond – Patrick Gibson’s Four-Year Journey
Irish actor Patrick Gibson opened his appearance with a short greeting in Japanese — a gesture that immediately charmed the audience. He said he could hardly believe it when he first learned that he would be portraying James Bond in both voice and movement. Gibson then noted that he has been involved with 007: First Light for over four years, watching the project grow from early development into a full cinematic production.
Gibson said that the video game offered him a rare opportunity to reinterpret Bond from the ground up. The project, he explained, serves as Bond’s origin story — one that reimagines the character through a fresh lens and bridges the gap between the confident agent audiences know and the younger, inexperienced Bond still finding his footing. He said exploring that transformation was particularly fascinating.
“We weren’t bound too much by what came before,” he explained. “We could take on new things and accept them, and in doing so, create an original Bond. The process was very enjoyable.”
Working alongside a talented international cast helped Gibson explore that human side even further. The on-set chemistry — particularly with Kiera Lester’s Moneypenny, Alastair Mackenzie’s Q, and Noemie Nakai’s Charlotte Roth — encouraged him to ground his performance in emotion rather than style.
From Audition Surprise to Bond’s Ally – Noemie Nakai as Miss Roth
Japanese-French actress Noemie Nakai, who voices and performs Miss Charlotte Roth, opened her appearance by greeting the audience in Japanese — noting how special it felt to return to her hometown of Tokyo for the event. She said that the casting process lasted nearly a year and involved deep preparation. During that time, she made an unusual creative choice that ultimately won her the role.
“When I went to the audition and performed the scene I had prepared, my agent called me afterwards and asked, ‘What did you do!?’ Apparently, the judges had said, ‘Is she not interested in the role?’ But in fact, that was exactly the performance I had prepared. I wanted to show Charlotte Roth as someone who seems more aloof — and as a result, I was able to play the role.”
Recording for 007: First Light took place in London and involved both voice acting and motion-capture work. Nakai noted that the mocap suit’s physical demands made it difficult to move properly — she couldn’t even go to the bathroom — which left her humbled and intensely focused on the performance.
She said that the long legacy of the James Bond franchise initially felt intimidating, but that pressure faded quickly — within the first ten minutes on set.
Nakai also praised Gibson’s steadiness during long studio days, saying his calm focus helped keep the cast from “drifting away” when sessions became intense.
Insights like these are exactly what fans have been hoping for — glimpses behind the scenes that deepen our connection to 007: First Light itself. They heighten the anticipation and let us appreciate the talent and personality of the cast. More time with the actors might be just what long-time Bond fans and old-school skeptics need to be won over.
And personally, I’m still eagerly waiting for the upcoming Q&A with Patrick Gibson and Noemie Nakai, featuring questions collected from the official 007: First Light Discord channel.
Source:
DengekiOnline.com – ボドカさんが『007 ファーストライト』のアンバサダー就任！ ジェームズ・ボンド役の声優が“若くて未熟なボンド”を演じた心境を明かしたメディア向け発表会レポ
