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Phoebe Waller-Bridge, an English actress, writer, and producer, recently sat down for an interview with Vanity Fair, where she lets the cat out of the bag about why she exited the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ series and her intense eight-figure deal with Amazon. She also addresses rumors on whether or not she will be directing the next James Bond film.
Why did Phoebe Waller-Bridge Abandon the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ series?
Although the multi-talented actress ended her popular show ‘Fleabag’ with its second and final season in 2019, there was a lot of potential for Phoebe to milk a new project from her multiyear deal with Amazon in a ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ TV revival. She was set to star in the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film adapted TV series alongside Donald Glover. In September 2021, Waller-Bridge announced that she was exiting the project, with the reason ultimately boiling down to “creative differences.” When opening up about abandoning the series, Phoebe claimed she genuinely cared about the project and wish she didn’t have to leave, but separate creative visions didn’t leave her any choice.
“I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it and I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
What else did the actress say in her Vanity Fair interview?
Waller-Bridge essentially commented on her multi-million collaboration with Amazon stating that they felt like she “took a punt” on them, and how she wants to do right by the studio. She describes herself as excessively “creatively controlling” and explains that Amazon understands her and the way she works. The actress mentioned that “They’ve been with me along this process where I’m like, ‘I’m getting there, but I want it to be f**king amazing,'”
When asked to address the rumors that she might be directing a James Bond movie as her next creative pursuit, she simply laughed it off. “My mum sent me that rumor too,” Phoebe commented, “So the obvious leap is James Bond.”