Reports have emerged regarding casting a younger James Bond. It would likely be someone in their 30s or older, and the series casting director recently explained why a 007 in his 20s wouldn’t work.
James Bond casting director comments on the matter
In an interview with RadioTimes, casting director Debbie McWilliams said that the age limit for the role of James Bond started in 2006 when male actors in their 20s were auditioning for Casino Royale, including Henry Cavill, who was 22 at the time. She and director Martin Campbell said Cavill, now 39, and the other actors in his age group didn’t land the lead role because they lacked gravitas and experience. In other words, they were too young.
“We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don’t think they had the gravitas, they didn’t have the experience, they didn’t have the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the part they’re taking on, it’s a massive responsibility,” McWilliams said. “So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again.”
The only actor who landed the part in Casino Royale was then-38-year-old Craig, and he played James Bond for 15 years ever since.
Before No Time to Die was released, other actors 30 and older tried auditioning for the role of James Bond, including Idris Elba (50), Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page (34), Tom Hardy (45), Sam Heughan (42), and Bullet Train’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson (32). Elba and Hardy have since been ruled out to play the MI6 agent.
Since Craig’s departure, there has been much speculation of who will next take on the mantle of Britain’s most famous spy. Daniel Craig retired as 007 last year. It has been noted that the fans have been busy dream casting the role with actors of all types. It has been further noted that the favorites to bag the role include LGBTQ actors like Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, singer Sam Smith, and Thor’s Tessa Thompson. However, popular actor Idris Elba is not willing to grab the role of James Bond.
