| Dr. Christmas Jones | |
|---|---|
| Character from the James Bond franchise | |
| Affiliation | IAEA |
| Portrayed by | Denise Richards |
Dr. Christmas Jones is a fictional character from the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. She was portrayed by Denise Richards.[1] The character also appears in the novel The World Is Not Enough and the video game The World Is Not Enough.
Dr. Christmas Jones is a young American nuclear physicist[2] working in Kazakhstan to dismantle nuclear warheads so as to reduce the Russian inventory in line with treaty obligations. She tends to be rather defensive and even aggressive towards the men she meets. She particularly dislikes jokes about her given name.[3]
On their initial encounter Christmas distrusts Bond, who is working undercover to investigate Renard's presence at a Russian missile facility. When Christmas realises that Bond is not who he claims to be – given that the scientist he is posing as is actually 63 years old – she alerts both the authorities and, unintentionally, Renard; as a result, Renard escapes with a nuclear warhead, forcing Christmas to flee with Bond. Once she learns of Renard's plot to destroy the pipeline, Christmas assists Bond in his mission, helping him in his attempt to disarm the nuclear bombs Renard is attempting to set off. In classic Bond-movie fashion, they become lovers after the end of the mission during a stay in Turkey, prompting Bond's one-liner, "I thought Christmas only comes once a year."[1]
Denise Richards has stated that she liked that her character was a Bond girl that was both "brainy, athletic, and had depth of character, in contrast to Bond girls from previous decades".[4] However, Richards was criticised as not being credible in the role.[5][6] The character's outfit of a tank top and shorts was also criticised in reviews of the film.[7]
Christmas Jones was ranked as one of the worst Bond girls of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2008.[8]