Denise Richards Recalls People 'Making Fun of Me' for Bond Girl Role: 'It Broke My Heart'

Denise Richards was disappointed by reactions to her James Bond role.

While speaking with Variety at the premiere of her new series Paper Empire, Richards, 52, said she was "panned" for her role in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, in which she played Dr. Christmas Jones opposite then-007 actor Pierce Brosnan.

"It broke my heart that people were making fun of me," the actress said, recalling criticisms of her character that included insults like: "Oh, really? You're wearing shorts and you're a nuclear scientist?"

"I'm playing a Bond girl. If I wore a lab coat and pants and a suit, then [fans] would have been upset, like, 'Okay, why isn't she looking like a sexy Bond girl?' " the actress added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Richards acknowledged that she has been "very quiet about" her negative experiences with Hollywood and fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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"I obviously went through a lot in my career early on, when I did Wild Things especially," she told the outlet. "And one day I will talk about that experience. And some stuff right after that and a little before, but it's, uh … you know, I'm glad that we're in a time where women are being empowered and being able to have more of a voice."

The interview was not the first time Richards has spoken about criticism she received over her character, a nuclear scientist who 007 meets during the course of the movie. Back in 2012, she shared her note that "there's not too many scientists who run around in little shorts with a tattoo," while speaking with USA Today.

"So many people made fun of how I was dressed when the movie came out," she said at the time. "That's part of the appeal of Bond. These Bond girls are so outrageous and if I did really look like a scientist, the Bond fans would have been disappointed."

While speaking with Variety, Richards shared her opinion on casting rumors for the next Bond movie. When asked whether she believes it's time for a woman to play the character, she said, "Definitely a male Bond, I'm sorry."

"I might get a lot of flack for this. But the fact of the matter is the Bond franchise was based off of a book franchise and Bond was male in the books and I believe [they should] continue with that," she told the outlet. "I do, and people may s--- on me for it, but I believe it."

"They could do a spinoff where a Bond girl becomes the female Bond," she added. "But I think James Bond is James Bond."