- Actor Alastair Mackenzie says the scene where his character, Q, teaches Bond how to tie a bow tie was a “key moment”
- He says it was a “very special relationship moment.”
- Mackenzie adds that stories like that of 007 First light They are all about “humanity”
The actors behind 007 First lightThe supporting cast has revealed the most memorable moments between their characters and James Bond.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, the cast of IO Interactive’s Bond game, including Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James and Noémie Nakai, sat down to discuss the filming process and how they brought their characters to life.
first light It’s a cinematic action-adventure game and a prequel origin story for Bond, so there are plenty of moments where he interacts and strengthens his relationships with the cast.
Mackenzie, who plays Q, recalls the scene in Vietnam where Bond struggles to tie his own bow tie before setting out on his mission, and Q helps him in an almost fatherly way. It’s a lovely moment, and one the actor himself found most memorable.
“I had to teach him how to tie a bow tie, which I mean, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but it’s impossible,” Mackenzie said. “It’s a really nice moment between Bond and Q, where he presents him with his tie and he doesn’t know what the fuck to do, so he shows him how to tie it. [it]. So that was a little key for me; “That’s a very, very small relationship moment.”
Burford, who plays M, also mentioned a “beautiful” moment with reluctant allies Bond and John Greenway early in the story that demonstrated the development of Bond’s character.
“For me, there was one [scene] where Bond is really angry at Greenway, and he wants to tear it all down and be done with it,” he said. “And there’s a beautiful part where it’s like teaching someone how to manage their emotions and how to regulate and get out of an emotional state like a young person would; someone impulsive who gives in to their anger and looks at the situation from a slightly broader perspective.
“Instead of getting angry, what can this guy teach you? What do you want them to pick and try to think about it that way? And that, to me, was a good clue as to what this dynamic was, and [what] M’s approach was.”
Mackenzie added that these stories are about “humanity” and something he believes isn’t shown very often in games.
“These are all human interactions that make up this game,” he said. “There’s a kind of visceral nature to it, where you connect on a human level, which I think doesn’t happen in every game, right? I mean, it’s not a normal thing in game stories.”
007 First light It is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A version for Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be released later this year.
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