Trina Parks, who played the assassin Thumper in Diamonds Are Forever, has backed Sydney Sweeney for a role opposite the next James Bond, arguing that the franchise needs an independent woman rather than someone who simply falls into bed with its hero.

The endorsement comes as casting gathers pace, although no appointment has been confirmed. Final screen tests for Bond are thought to have taken place this week, with Josh O’Connor, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and an unnamed contender in contention.

MGM studio executives, casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve are also casting actresses. Their shortlist is thought to include Sweeney, Margaret Qualley, Zendaya, Michelle Randolph and Nathalie Emmanuel.

Parks, 78, appeared alongside Sean Connery in the 1971 Bond film. She praised Sweeney’s range, style and poise, saying: “I feel for modern cinema and film-making and the future of Bond, audiences want to see a woman opposite Bond who is independent and has ownership of her sexuality. Sydney has those qualities.”

Her assessment nevertheless came with a qualification: “I don’t know much about her work, but she obviously can act because of the type of projects she has appeared in.”

Parks also supported Zendaya, who appeared with Sweeney in HBO’s Euphoria. Citing her performances in the Spider-Man films, Parks said she would not be “a pushover for Bond”. She linked that endorsement to her advocacy for women of colour and praised the Broccoli family’s history of casting people of colour.

Jane Seymour, 75, has previously backed Sweeney too, describing her as “gorgeous, talented”. Sweeney herself expressed enthusiasm for the franchise last year after its purchase by Amazon, though, asked about playing a Bond girl, she said she would have “more fun as James Bond”. Gold has also hired her to lead an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1913 novel The Custom of the Country.

The commercial case for Sweeney rests on her profile and potential audience appeal. An unnamed New York producer with previous Bond experience described her as a top-tier candidate who could attract viewers ranging from teenagers to people in their eighties. Those are promotional judgements, not evidence of a casting decision.

An insider put her potential fee at at least £4.3 million; the producer cited close to $6 million. That would exceed the approximately £3.1 million Halle Berry received as Jinx in 2002’s Die Another Day. Neither a fee nor Sweeney’s involvement has been confirmed.