Last week, it was reported that Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor, and an unnamed fourth actor were undergoing screen tests amid Amazon MGM’s hunt for the new James Bond. While this may be the alleged shortlist to fill Daniel Craig’s shoes in the next Bond film, the British spy has been many an actor’s dream role for decades.
Back in 2005, a host of famous faces — some household names then, others gaining notoriety later in their career — auditioned for the Casino Royale remake, which would eventually see Craig cast in the role. Some of these screen tests leaked online, while other actors revealed they tried out for the part in their own admissions.
Henry Cavill
If you look at any social media post online about the ongoing Bond auditions, you can almost guarantee someone will mention Henry Cavill, in part thanks to his performances as Superman and The Witcher’s lead character, Geralt.
However, long before these roles, Cavill — then a 22-year-old emerging actor — was reportedly a finalist during auditions in 2005, with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell shortlisting him and inviting him for screen tests before the role eventually went to Craig.
Cavill’s age and physique likely played a part in his rejection. “I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry,’” Cavill said in an interview with Men’s Health. “I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”
Dominic West
Shortly after becoming a star on the hit TV series The Wire, Dominic West tried out for another role with a massive following — 007.
“At the time, I really wanted to get it. I love Bond, and I was the right age for it,” the actor said of his Casino Royale audition in a 2018 interview with Esquire. In the end, the War actor said he is now thankful he didn’t get the part.
“They asked me, ‘What do you think should happen with Bond?’ And I said something deeply uninspired like, ‘I think he should go back to being more like Sean Connery,'” West continued. “I thought then that it was the best job you can do. Now, I’m not so sure. You have a year-and-a-half of hell doing publicity.”
Antony Starr
Long before Antony Starr made a name for himself as the villain Homelander in The Boys, the Kiwi actor tried out for perhaps Britain’s best-loved hero (after Paddington Bear, of course).
When asked about his audition, which leaked online, by Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Starr called his audition “One of the worst readings of ‘Bond. James Bond’ you’ll ever see.”
“My metaphor for that was like throwing a baitless hook into a very large pond, knowing you’re not gonna catch the fish,” he said. “They were just dragnetting the globe, and I was just one of the little minnows somewhere in there that got caught in the net. It was a bit surreal.”
“It came out of the blue, and I sort of went in and did that reading,” Starr continued. “It’s not very good, but it’s reflective of where I was at.”
Rupert Friend
Fresh off his recent success as George Wickham in the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice, Rupert Friend was one of countless British actors who threw their hat into the ring to audition for one of cinema’s most enduring figures.
In a 2023 interview with Variety, Friend said he was invited by the producers of Casino Royale to try out for Bond but ended up curtailing the process himself. “I just feel at this point in my life and career, I’m too young, I don’t have the experience, I don’t have the acting chops and I don’t have any of the hard knocks — emotionally, psychologically, physically — that a great Bond should have,” he said.
“So I’m gonna politely decline. That was probably a bit of an eyebrow raise for them.”
Sam Worthington
Before bagging lead roles in Avatar and Clash of the Titans, Sam Worthington auditioned for perhaps the most sought-after leading man role of them all.
Speaking to Variety in 2022, the Australian actor said he didn’t have the look for Bond — even after Bond producer Barbara Broccoli cut his hair during auditions. “I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me,” Worthington recalled. “The suit did not fit.”
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys may have made history recently with his double win at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, thanks to his work in The Beast in Me and Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, but one role evaded the Welshman entirely, despite his immense acting talent.
In an interview with The Times, Rhys said he was “terrified” when he went out for the part that eventually went to Craig. “They said, ‘What would you do differently with Bond?’ And I just remember going, ‘Ah,'” he recalled.
“I was so not anticipating that question. And then I was like, is it a trick question? Are they waiting for people to go, ‘I wouldn’t do anything. He’s perfect’?”
