The actors behind 007 First Light 's supporting cast have opened up about the most memorable moments between their characters and James Bond. Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James, and Noémie Nakai discussed the filming process and how they brought their roles to life at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026.
IO Interactive's cinematic action adventure serves as a prequel origin story for Bond, with multiple scenes built around his relationships with the wider cast. Mackenzie, who plays Q, pointed to a Vietnam sequence where Bond struggles to tie his own bow tie before a mission and Q steps in with almost paternal help. The actor called it his most memorable moment in the game.
I had to teach him how to tie a bow tie, which I mean, I don't know if you ever tried, but it's impossible. It's a really nice moment between Bond and Q, where he presents him with his tie, and he doesn't know what the f*** to do, so he teaches him how to tie [it]. So that was a little key for me; that's very, very little special relationship moment.
Burford, who plays M, highlighted a scene early in the story involving Bond, reluctant ally John Greenway, and a moment of character development around anger and impulse.
For me, there was one [scene] where Bond is really angry with Greenway, and he wants to kick the whole thing down and finish it. And there's a beautiful bit where it's sort of teaching someone how to handle their emotions and how to regulate and step out of an emotional state as a young person might do; someone impulsive who gives in to their anger and looks at the situation from a bit of a wider perspective. Instead of getting angry, what can this guy teach you? What do you want them to pick and try and think about it that way. And that, for me was a good clue about what this dynamic was, and [what] M's approach was.
Mackenzie added that the game's story beats center on humanity, something he believes is not shown often in gaming.
These are all human interactions that make this game. There's a sort of visceral nature to it, where you're connecting on a human level, which I think doesn't happen in every game, does it? I mean, it's not something that is normal in gaming stories.
007 First Light is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is expected to launch later this year.
