BOND girl Lashana Lynch is never afraid to acknowledge the ties that bind her to Jamaica. She paid homage to her roots during her acceptance speech at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts ( BAFTA) 2022 Film Awards held at the London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

Lynch, 34, won the EE Rising Star Award for her role in the latest Bond film, No Time to Die.

“Thank you everyone who voted… I have very supportive parents, whose parents came here through the Windrush generation. I have them to thank for my existence,” she said.

“I’m grateful for coming from a working-class foundation that has taught me everything I need to know about failure; about ‘nos’ and what ‘nos’ mean and how to celebrate your ‘yeses”. Now I get to celebrate a ‘yes’ that I never expected,” she continued.

The Windrush generation refers to Caribbean nationals — from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands — who arrived in the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1971 to fill post-war labour shortages.

At the launch of the latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die, at Golden Eye in St Mary in 2019, Lynch confirmed — in an authentic Jamaican accent — that her roots were in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and it was not her first time on the island.

“No, sah! Not my first time… Mi jus’ a come een an’ integrate inna di ting,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Then, at the film’s world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London in September 2021, she wore a stunning evening gown in gold and black, featuring an embroidered humming bird detail. The humming bird is Jamaica’s national bird.

“Being Jamaican is… there’s an attitude and a swagger that come with just being born into a Jamaican family. You know how to stand up for yourself; pretty instantly… like out of the womb you’re already taking charge,” Lynch shared in a previous interview.

Jamaica is the birthplace of the James Bond character created by novelist Ian Flemming at his Golden Eye retreat in St Mary.

The first Bond film, Dr No (1962), and Live And Let Die (1973) were both shot mainly in Kingston. Jamaican actors, including Reggie Carter, Marguerite Lewars, and Grace Jones, have appeared in Bond flicks.

Directed by American Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time to Die stars Daniel Craig in his final role as Agent 007. Several scenes were shot on location in Portland and Kingston. The mother of another cast member, Naomie Harris, is Jamaican.

The other BAFTA winners announced on Sunday include Joanna Scanlan, who copped the Leading Actress award for her performance in After Love, and Will Smith, who received the Leading Actor award for King Richard.