What a week! Delighted Naomie Harris is made OBE by the Queen in London... three days before her first Academy Awards ceremony as a nominee
PUBLISHED: 14:08, 23 February 2017 | UPDATED: 18:37, 23 February 2017
James Bond star Naomie Harris was made OBE in
London on Thursday, just days before she's due in Hollywood as an
Oscars nominee.
The 40-year-old, best known for her role as Moneypenny in 007, was honoured by
the Queen at Buckingham Palace for her services to drama.
Naomie is nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Moonlight this Sunday, but clearly still had Bond on her mind at the ceremony, saying she'd put money on the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond.
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An honour: Naomie Harris was greeted by the Queen on Thursday as she was made OBE at Buckingham Palace in London
'I'm not going to forget this week,' she told Associated Press, collecting the honour in an elegant Mary Katrantzou dress, ahead of her turn on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.
She is nominated in the Supporting Actress category for her role in Moonlight as Paula, the drug-addicted mother of a young black gay man growing up in Miami.
'I don't think I have a chance of winning at all,' she said, adding that it feels 'incredible' to be nominated.
Proud: The star was honoured for her services to drama
Naomie is up against Viola Davies for Fences, Nicole Kidman for Lion, Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures and Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea.
Filled with excitement, Naomie said the experience of collecting her award from the Queen was 'lovely', and said the monarch asked her what she was working on at the moment.
Naomie famously played Moneypenny in Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), saying that she's expecting to go back to work with Daniel Craig on the next film
'I really don't think that they've moved on from Daniel,' she said, despite his cynicism about the role and the speculation surrounding a replacement.
Smart: She wore a smart coat over a pretty dress, and teamed it all with kitten heel shoes
Exciting week: Naomie is due in Hollywood later this week for the Academy Awards
Naomie Harris beams after receiving an OBE from the Queen
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'I think there's a very good chance that Daniel will come back. I think it's way too early to be thinking about other people at this stage.'
The 40-year-old star added: 'If I was going to bet, that's the way I would bet.'
Naomie has previously spoken of her desire to see Craig return as Bond following speculation he may leave the role - and now says that if she was a betting woman she would put her money on him to return.
Earlier this week - the week Craig became the second-longest serving 007 - James Norton and Michael Fassbender were said to be the frontrunners to become the next Bond.
Special event: She is nominated for an Oscar for her role in Moonlight
Special day: Naomie looked gorgeous inside the palace, wearing Mary Katrantzou
Harris said she thinks fans would be 'very disappointed' if Craig did not return to the role, adding: 'I think the fact that the last two Bonds - Spectre and Skyfall - have been the highest-grossing Bond movies of all time shows that people love him as Bond, and they desperately want him to return.
'And I don't think Daniel is immune to that as well, I think he's very aware of that, so I think that adds an extra level of pressure. But he has to ultimately do what feels right to him.
'But I know that we, as a cast, collectively want him back. I know that Barbara and Michael - our producers - desperately want him back, so I think the only person that needs persuading is Daniel.'
Shortly after the release of Spectre, Craig said he would rather 'slash my wrists' than appear in another film as the secret service agent.
But Naomie said that comment was 'just a joke' and that it can be difficult to translate jokes in print.
Naomie has previously said she wants to continue appearing in Bond films 'for as long as they'll have me'.
Delighted: She kept up good conversation with the Queen
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4252882/Naomie-Harris-OBE-Queen-London.html#ixzz4ZXnKMsdF
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