'I am very, very against Ülez - it's a tax on the poor'

From London's new green road policy to the problem with the climate-polluting fashion industry, Naomie Harris has strong feelings about the environment - just don't mention her Range Rover, says Joe Bromley

THERE is a serious nervousness among actors undertaking interviews as the strikes continue in the United States. Naomie Harris, OBE, and celebrated performer thanks to her Oscar-nominated role in Moonlight and success as Ms Moneypenny in the three most recent James Bond films, appears to be no exception. “I usually don’t need this many people,” says the north London-born actor apologetically, as she marches into Soho House’s Greek Street restaurant flanked by four PRs. We take a seat at a corner table. “I just need to be really careful with what I say as the strikes continue.”

While laws prevent British actors from striking, many are refusing to promote their on-screen work past, present or future in solidarity with the action by the SAG-AFTRA union. Harris is just here to talk about her new fashion endeavour, and is probably relieved not to have to skirt around the hack classic, “So, who’s the next James Bond?”, for the hundredth time. But while Harris’s lips are sealed on 007, she jumps wholeheartedly into her critique of the British Government and film industry at large — two topics she is decidedly furious about. “The draconian strike laws we have to operate under are problematic in and of itself. We can’t actually stop working… or we could be potentially sued,” she says. Since July 14, members of the American actors’ union have refused to work amid ongoing disputes over pay and the threat of artificial intelligence, issues Harris believes are as critical in the UK.

I’m one of the two per cent of this industry who are able to make a living. We’re fighting for the 98 per cent who can’t