'No Time To Die' star Billy Magnussen praises the Bond films for investing in communities (exclusives)

Watch: Billy Magnussen talks about filming No Time To Die in Jamaica

No Time To Die actor Billy Magnussen has paid tribute to the producers of the globe-trotting James Bond films for investing money in the far-flung places they film in.

As the slick CIA agent Logan Ash, Magnussen shot the majority of his scenes in the new Bond film — which arrives on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on 20 December — on location in Jamaica. While he was there he observed how the Bond franchise goes 'to parts of the world that are in need financially and economically'.

Magnussen astutely adds: "They start infusing funds into an area and the area starts growing with the Bond franchise”.

Read more: The best movies of 2021

Witnessing what his 'beautiful leaders' (Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson) can bring to a location, Billy notes “the community kind of protects the Bond film very much. So, it’s really beautiful what the Broccoli family does with the Bond thing as they move through the world.”

Billy Magnussen stars as Logan Ash in No Time To Die (MGM/EON/Universal Pictures)
Billy Magnussen stars as Logan Ash in No Time To Die (MGM/EON/Universal Pictures)

Talking about filming in the Caribbean island with Daniel Craig’s Bond and Jeffrey Wright’s Felix Leiter, Magnussen confessed “Rum was involved! And jerk chicken was involved!”

"They're really wonderful, wonderful men”, he added. “And gracious. Daniel was being so kind and inviting in every scene. And giving. You hope to work with people with that grace.”

Read more: No Time To Die was the most searched movie of 2021

Having worked with No Time To Die Cary Joji Fukunaga previously on Netflix’s Maniac, Magnussen went into the 25th Bond film with a total admiration for his director buddy.

“I love Cary. I admire him so much," he told Yahoo. “He's the type of director which I always hope to work with. It's someone that is just going deeper and deeper into characters and story development. And we don't move on until we get it right.”

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Billy Magnussen attends Oceana's 14th Annual SeaChange Summer Party hosted by Ted Danson on October 23, 2021 in Laguna Beach, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Billy Magnussen with an undercover Spectre agent (probably) attends Oceana's 14th Annual SeaChange Summer Party, 2021 (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Being a GoldenEye era Bond fan, Magnussen echoed a generation as he recalled “playing N64 GoldenEye all the time”, however it was not until he first saw his names on the shimmering No Time to Die titles that he truly realised his cinematic immortality.

“Oh, my gosh! That moment was huge!” he beamed. “I didn't realise what opportunity I had or what experience was falling before me until that moment. It was one of those moments where time stopped for just a hair. It was crazy!”.

No Time To Die’s two-disc collector’s edition on DVD, Blu-ray™ & 4K Ultra HD with exclusive bonus content exploring the action, spectacle, and stunts will be available from 20 December.

Watch: Daniel Craig looks back at his five films as James Bond