Who will play the next James Bond? That question has haunted fans ever since franchise bosses confirmed that “the search for the next James Bond” had begun. Favourites have included Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, and more recently Heartstopper actor Jack Barton. Meanwhile, Sir Idris Elba, long touted as a great 007 option, has dismissed speculation about his casting as “just a rumour”.

But what about the actors who were actually offered the part and turned it down? Over the decades, several notable performers have reportedly said “no” to the iconic role — sometimes for career reasons, sometimes out of principle, and at least once because of a spouse’s ultimatum. Here are 11 actors who allegedly passed on playing James Bond.

The Stars Who Said No to James Bond

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, has revealed that he was offered the role of Bond for 2006’s Casino Royale. In an interview with IndieWire, the Les Mis star explained that he turned it down because of other commitments.

“I had a look at it… I was like, ‘If I’m doing that and Wolverine, I’ll have no time to do anything else,’” he said. He also shared that the offer first came while he was preparing for X-Men 2. “I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real… People wanted me to play that kind of hero part exclusively. It felt a little bit claustrophobic.”

Richard Burton

Richard Burton, the Welsh actor famous for Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, was reportedly one of the first people Ian Fleming considered for the first Bond film, Dr No. According to the actor’s great-nephew, Guy Masterson, Fleming approached Burton directly.

“My uncle told me that Ian Fleming had approached him, asking him to play Bond. But, back then, in 1959, Bond was a new concept, and nobody had any idea it would be as big as it became. My uncle told me that he thought it was going to be just another movie,” Masterson said. “No matter how big Bond became, he never said he regretted missing out on the role. Had Burton played Bond, I think he would have been absolutely fantastic.”

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood, the four-time Academy Award winner, was offered the role after Sean Connery stepped away from the franchise. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2010, Eastwood said he was “offered pretty good money to do James Bond if I would take on the role. This was after Sean Connery left. My lawyer represented [then-007 producers] the Broccolis, and he came and said, ‘They would love to have you.’ But to me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal. It didn’t feel right for me to be doing it.”

In 2021, he told The Express there was another reason: “I thought James Bond should be British. I am of British descent, but by that same token, I thought that it should be more of the culture there. It was not my thing.”

Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in six Harry Potter films, claimed he was approached for Bond but turned it down because he didn’t fit the part physically. “I didn’t want the part because I’m not like [Bond]. I haven’t got nice hair, and I’m a bit fat,” he said. He added that the producer he was speaking to reassured him: “Well, the present James Bond doesn’t have any hair. It’s a wig.”

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds, the star of Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit, reportedly regretted his decision to turn down 007. In 2015, he told USA Today that he declined because he didn’t think fans would accept an American Bond. “The public won’t accept it,” he said. Later, he admitted: “It was a stupid thing to say. I could’ve done it and I could’ve done it well.”

Adam West

Adam West, famous for playing Batman in the 1960s series, also reportedly turned down the role of James Bond. His Batman co-star, Burt Ward, who played Robin, told the Express: “Yes, he actually turned the role [of Bond] down, and the reason why [is] he thought from a technical standpoint that it should be a Brit that plays the role.” Ward added: “I think he would have been great, he would have been fabulous. He would have been closer, in my opinion, to Sean Connery, even than Roger Moore. Sean has even more of that satirical twinkle in the eye.”

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor, known for Trainspotting and Star Wars, was reportedly offered the role of Bond for Casino Royale before Daniel Craig landed it. Director Martin Campbell revealed that McGregor turned it down. “I think [Ewan] got another job or decided he didn’t want to do it,” Campbell said. The director suspected McGregor was worried about being typecast after playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels.

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson, the Irish actor known for Schindler’s List and Taken, has said his late wife, Natasha Richardson, gave him an ultimatum. “I was heavily courted, let’s put it that way, and I’m sure some other actors were too,” Neeson told the Hull Daily Mail. “It was about 18 or 19 years ago, and my wife-to-be said, ‘If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.’ And I had to take that on board because I did want to marry her.”

Rod Taylor

Australian actor Rod Taylor was reportedly considered for the first Bond film in the late 1950s. He later confessed: “Producer Cubby Broccoli wanted me to screen test for James Bond when he was preparing Dr No in 1961. I refused because I thought it was beneath me. I didn’t think Bond would be successful in the movies. That was one of the greatest mistakes of my career! Every time a new Bond picture became a smash hit, I tore out my hair. Cubby and I have laughed about it ever since.”

Cary Grant

Cary Grant, the two-time Academy Award nominee, was allegedly Ian Fleming’s first choice for the initial Bond movie. He was also the first man at Cubby Broccoli’s wedding. But Grant, who was in his 50s at the time, was reportedly only interested in a one-film deal, while the studio wanted him for five films. As a result, the deal fell through, and Sean Connery landed the iconic role.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale, star of American Psycho and The Dark Knight trilogy, explained his decision in his biography, Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman. In the book, Bale said James Bond represented “every despicable stereotype about England and British actors,” adding that he had “already played a serial killer.”

Source:MSN News