Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • Posts: 16,079
    007HallY wrote: »
    Venutius wrote: »
    An actor of Craig's calibre couldn't 'pretend'?

    I think there's a lot of Connery's coolness in his performance. Fleming's Bond isn't really like that.

    I think a lot of that’s on the page based on how the character has developed in films (the Bond of Fleming’s CR doesn’t act quite like the version Craig played, even if the latter’s an adaptation. The cinematic version is much more quippy and outwardly more relaxed).

    Anyway, I can see where Craig was coming from when he said he simply approached Bond as any other character. I don’t get the sense he was studying the other Bond performances (which I can imagine a number of actors doing).
    Ludovico wrote: »
    MSL49 wrote: »
    Was Craig screentests in 2005 clearly the best to compare to the other candidates?

    Little I saw of the other auditions... yes. Boy some of them were terrible.

    Worthington’s was rough. Wasn’t hugely impressed with Cavill’s but you could tell he was adapting his performance with each take. The other ones were fine but not quite right.

    Those were just line readings though to whittle down first line candidates. They’re often varied anyway and there were probably tens of dozens of those with lesser knowns.

    From what I read, they thought Cavill lacked gravitas, but they thought with a few years of experience he'd be a good candidate. I rewatched some of it and it's really Worthintgon who stands out as bad. Like a guy walking into a pub.
  • MSL49MSL49 Finland
    Posts: 549
    Even with a weak reading test Worthington has had a big career.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 19,017
    I see Daryl McCormack‘s in the new Knives Out too, so a couple of potential Bonds in there.
  • Posts: 5,890
    Ludovico wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    Venutius wrote: »
    An actor of Craig's calibre couldn't 'pretend'?

    I think there's a lot of Connery's coolness in his performance. Fleming's Bond isn't really like that.

    I think a lot of that’s on the page based on how the character has developed in films (the Bond of Fleming’s CR doesn’t act quite like the version Craig played, even if the latter’s an adaptation. The cinematic version is much more quippy and outwardly more relaxed).

    Anyway, I can see where Craig was coming from when he said he simply approached Bond as any other character. I don’t get the sense he was studying the other Bond performances (which I can imagine a number of actors doing).
    Ludovico wrote: »
    MSL49 wrote: »
    Was Craig screentests in 2005 clearly the best to compare to the other candidates?

    Little I saw of the other auditions... yes. Boy some of them were terrible.

    Worthington’s was rough. Wasn’t hugely impressed with Cavill’s but you could tell he was adapting his performance with each take. The other ones were fine but not quite right.

    Those were just line readings though to whittle down first line candidates. They’re often varied anyway and there were probably tens of dozens of those with lesser knowns.

    From what I read, they thought Cavill lacked gravitas, but they thought with a few years of experience he'd be a good candidate. I rewatched some of it and it's really Worthintgon who stands out as bad. Like a guy walking into a pub.

    Oh, it's a disaster audition. I actually feel for him. I think he's said publicly he knew he wouldn't get it, couldn't do the accent, and messed it up (he didn't seem to know his lines and even says at the end 'I'm out'). We've all had job interviews which have gone badly.
    MSL49 wrote: »
    Even with a weak reading test Worthington has had a big career.

    I don't like him as an actor, but most actors - even exceptional ones - have probably messed up an audition in their career. Bond is a big one too. Not easy.
    mtm wrote: »
    I see Daryl McCormack‘s in the new Knives Out too, so a couple of potential Bonds in there.

    Actually yeah, I have an easier time seeing him doing it than O'Connor. Wasn't a fan of that film he did with Emma Thompson but he was quite good and convincing in it.
  • MSL49MSL49 Finland
    Posts: 549
    Stakes are high for actor to audition role like Bond. I think actor needs something unique to play the part.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited September 8 Posts: 2,862
    Matt Smith. It won't be him, because he's 40+...but an actor like Smith would have played Bond effortlessly.
  • Posts: 5,890
    MSL49 wrote: »
    Stakes are high for actor to audition role like Bond. I think actor needs something unique to play the part.

    It'll be interesting seeing what the next actor brings to this part. I agree, I think while many actors can come in and do a convincing rendition of Bond, there are only a few who can make it their own in a way that's still recognisable as the character.
  • Posts: 2,356
    All of them are unique, being Bond is the hard part.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 1,111
    Daryl McCormack has been very watchable in everything I’ve seen him in. So far he’s mainly been a tv pretty-boy, though; definitely charismatic and quite striking looking, but I’ve yet to see him really show much range. The new Knives Out film might well be a game-changer for him, as I’ve seen it said he’s almost channeling Jeff Goldblum for this role, and just the fact he’s in a such a star-studded cast suggests he’s someone that’s going places.

    Josh O’Connor is almost the opposite, as he’s not really the obvious sex-symbol you expect to be cast as Bond, but he’s absolutely being considered one of the best actors of his generation, at least in some of the press. La Chimera is the only performance of his I’ve seen where I could see potential in him for the James Bond role. I think he’d be a great coup for the franchise in terms of suggesting they want to put acting first and continue to move the films in a more thoughtful direction, but… do they really want to do that? I’m not sure how much mileage there is in that direction.
  • Posts: 90
    https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54770793720_972e3b666d_o.jpg

    Folks that's James Bond. I know a lot of guys can ironically get this look but that is James Bond
  • edited September 8 Posts: 5,890
    It's not necessarily hard pretending to swagger in and talk in a certain way, maybe try to do a Roger Moore eyebrow raise if you can or try or do that wry grin Connery had. Anyone can do that with a certain amount of confidence or acting talent. Few can actually play Bond though (not everyone has the ability to naturally communicate coolness or sexuality like the actors, not to mention the idea of natural physicality, looks etc). I'd say for an actor doing it their own way is being Bond. In theory I think an actor who hadn't ever seen a Bond film before could come in, read the script, think about the character, and do it convincingly in their own way that we recognise as a cinematic Bond.
    Daryl McCormack has been very watchable in everything I’ve seen him in. So far he’s mainly been a tv pretty-boy, though; definitely charismatic and quite striking looking, but I’ve yet to see him really show much range. The new Knives Out film might well be a game-changer for him, as I’ve seen it said he’s almost channeling Jeff Goldblum for this role, and just the fact he’s in a such a star-studded cast suggests he’s someone that’s going places.

    Josh O’Connor is almost the opposite, as he’s not really the obvious sex-symbol you expect to be cast as Bond, but he’s absolutely being considered one of the best actors of his generation, at least in some of the press. La Chimera is the only performance of his I’ve seen where I could see potential in him for the James Bond role. I think he’d be a great coup for the franchise in terms of suggesting they want to put acting first and continue to move the films in a more thoughtful direction, but… do they really want to do that? I’m not sure how much mileage there is in that direction.

    I can understand all that. I think it's possible to have a good, respected actor who is a bit more convincing in the role. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

    O'Connor wouldn't be high on my list. I guess I've seen traces of a Bond performance in his work (and yes, he's a very good actor) but I have a hard time seeing it fully.
  • Posts: 2,356
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's not necessarily hard pretending to swagger in and talk in a certain way, maybe try to do a Roger Moore eyebrow raise if you can or try or do that wry grin Connery had. Anyone can do that with a certain amount of confidence or acting talent. Few can actually play Bond though (not everyone has the ability to naturally communicate coolness or sexuality like the actors, not to mention the idea of natural physicality, looks etc). I'd say for an actor doing it their own way is being Bond. In theory I think an actor who hadn't ever seen a Bond film before could come in, read the script, think about the character, and do it convincingly in their own way that we recognise as a cinematic Bond.

    Being cocky is easy, but I have to believe that he can sleep with all the women and that he is really a tough guy.
  • edited September 8 Posts: 5,890
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's not necessarily hard pretending to swagger in and talk in a certain way, maybe try to do a Roger Moore eyebrow raise if you can or try or do that wry grin Connery had. Anyone can do that with a certain amount of confidence or acting talent. Few can actually play Bond though (not everyone has the ability to naturally communicate coolness or sexuality like the actors, not to mention the idea of natural physicality, looks etc). I'd say for an actor doing it their own way is being Bond. In theory I think an actor who hadn't ever seen a Bond film before could come in, read the script, think about the character, and do it convincingly in their own way that we recognise as a cinematic Bond.

    Being cocky is easy, but I have to believe that he can sleep with all the women and that he is really a tough guy.

    Exactly. It comes down to that old saying - 'some people just have it, others don't'. The actor can only do it their own way.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 8 Posts: 19,017
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's not necessarily hard pretending to swagger in and talk in a certain way, maybe try to do a Roger Moore eyebrow raise if you can or try or do that wry grin Connery had. Anyone can do that with a certain amount of confidence or acting talent. Few can actually play Bond though (not everyone has the ability to naturally communicate coolness or sexuality like the actors, not to mention the idea of natural physicality, looks etc). I'd say for an actor doing it their own way is being Bond. In theory I think an actor who hadn't ever seen a Bond film before could come in, read the script, think about the character, and do it convincingly in their own way that we recognise as a cinematic Bond.
    Daryl McCormack has been very watchable in everything I’ve seen him in. So far he’s mainly been a tv pretty-boy, though; definitely charismatic and quite striking looking, but I’ve yet to see him really show much range. The new Knives Out film might well be a game-changer for him, as I’ve seen it said he’s almost channeling Jeff Goldblum for this role, and just the fact he’s in a such a star-studded cast suggests he’s someone that’s going places.

    Josh O’Connor is almost the opposite, as he’s not really the obvious sex-symbol you expect to be cast as Bond, but he’s absolutely being considered one of the best actors of his generation, at least in some of the press. La Chimera is the only performance of his I’ve seen where I could see potential in him for the James Bond role. I think he’d be a great coup for the franchise in terms of suggesting they want to put acting first and continue to move the films in a more thoughtful direction, but… do they really want to do that? I’m not sure how much mileage there is in that direction.

    I can understand all that. I think it's possible to have a good, respected actor who is a bit more convincing in the role. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

    O'Connor wouldn't be high on my list. I guess I've seen traces of a Bond performance in his work (and yes, he's a very good actor) but I have a hard time seeing it fully.

    I know where you’re coming from, but I must admit I kind of want someone who I can’t quite entirely see doing it, because then I feel like we’re more likely to get something new and interesting. If it were, say, Henry Cavill, I can completely see him doing it and I know exactly how he’d play it, so I kind of don’t really want to. And, y’know: he’d be totally fine, just not interesting.

    Obviously there are different shades of ‘I can’t see him doing it’ though- not everyone is an interesting prospect! :)
    Basically if he’s a very good actor and he’s been doing more thoughtful work, then he might catch my imagination a bit. If he’s just a handsome guy who done some fairly rote action or detective stuff; meh.
    I guess really it’s one of those things where the choice gets more interesting after they’re actually cast: because if O’Connor or Dickinson or Pierre etc got the role, it means that they have an idea for how they’re actually going to do it, and that’s kind of where it gets exciting. The prospect of, say, O’Connor alone doing it isn’t quite the same if you know what I mean.
  • Posts: 2,355
    My girlfriend and I have been watching a couple of things on Netflix and an actor in the two things we watched, My Oxford Year and Hostage, feature a 27 year old actor - Corey Mylchreest. He kind has a Bond look about him.

    corey-mylchreest-in-hostage-688cab74f3d71.png?resize=980:*

    https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/corey-mylchreest-hostage-netflix-b1244006.html
  • Posts: 5,890
    mtm wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    It's not necessarily hard pretending to swagger in and talk in a certain way, maybe try to do a Roger Moore eyebrow raise if you can or try or do that wry grin Connery had. Anyone can do that with a certain amount of confidence or acting talent. Few can actually play Bond though (not everyone has the ability to naturally communicate coolness or sexuality like the actors, not to mention the idea of natural physicality, looks etc). I'd say for an actor doing it their own way is being Bond. In theory I think an actor who hadn't ever seen a Bond film before could come in, read the script, think about the character, and do it convincingly in their own way that we recognise as a cinematic Bond.
    Daryl McCormack has been very watchable in everything I’ve seen him in. So far he’s mainly been a tv pretty-boy, though; definitely charismatic and quite striking looking, but I’ve yet to see him really show much range. The new Knives Out film might well be a game-changer for him, as I’ve seen it said he’s almost channeling Jeff Goldblum for this role, and just the fact he’s in a such a star-studded cast suggests he’s someone that’s going places.

    Josh O’Connor is almost the opposite, as he’s not really the obvious sex-symbol you expect to be cast as Bond, but he’s absolutely being considered one of the best actors of his generation, at least in some of the press. La Chimera is the only performance of his I’ve seen where I could see potential in him for the James Bond role. I think he’d be a great coup for the franchise in terms of suggesting they want to put acting first and continue to move the films in a more thoughtful direction, but… do they really want to do that? I’m not sure how much mileage there is in that direction.

    I can understand all that. I think it's possible to have a good, respected actor who is a bit more convincing in the role. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

    O'Connor wouldn't be high on my list. I guess I've seen traces of a Bond performance in his work (and yes, he's a very good actor) but I have a hard time seeing it fully.

    I know where you’re coming from, but I must admit I kind of want someone who I can’t quite entirely see doing it, because then I feel like we’re more likely to get something new and interesting. If it were, say, Henry Cavill, I can completely see him doing it and I know exactly how he’d play it, so I kind of don’t really want to. And, y’know: he’d be totally fine, just not interesting.

    Obviously there are different shades of ‘I can’t see him doing it’ though- not everyone is an interesting prospect! :)
    Basically if he’s a very good actor and he’s been doing more thoughtful work, then he might catch my imagination a bit. If he’s just a handsome guy who done some fairly rote action or detective stuff; meh.
    I guess really it’s one of those things where the choice gets more interesting after they’re actually cast: because if O’Connor or Dickinson or Pierre etc got the role, it means that they have an idea for how they’re actually going to do it, and that’s kind of where it gets exciting. The prospect of, say, O’Connor alone doing it isn’t quite the same if you know what I mean.

    I agree, there's an excitement that comes with the pick and the anticipation of how they'll play the character.

    I suppose we don't know what any of these actors will bring until we see it. It's a hefty task for the people making this film and auditioning these actors. More than we'll ever know! There's a lot of intuition involved in not only picking the candidates but what they see in their screen-tests - does it feel like Bond, are they captivated by the actor, is it right for the film? etc. As I've said, many actors we've discussed can probably do a competent rendition of Bond. Good enough I suppose. But as is the case with any role they're looking for the best possible actor and someone who will commit to it - no matter how left field or supposedly traditional. They want someone who can stand out and make the role their own. Ideally 'good enough' won't be the result.

    It's why watching those 2005 audition tapes is so interesting. Even briefly you get a glimpse of the intuition needed in casting. Someone like Rupert Friend puts in a perfectly good audition. Better than Cavill's on an acting level. You could even say he's putting his own spin on Bond. But would it have felt right? For me no, it's not quite Bond - slightly too softly spoken, too mild etc. It's something you can only really feel and get a sense of when seeing the actor do their thing. And it's obviously a part of all this we here won't get to see!
  • Posts: 10,013
    So why dont we think Patrick Gibson will make the transition to films?

    Honestly he is likely an Eon casting as he was cast long before the amazon take over so why not let him be in the films as well
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited September 8 Posts: 2,129
    Risico007 wrote: »
    So why dont we think Patrick Gibson will make the transition to films?

    Honestly he is likely an Eon casting as he was cast long before the amazon take over so why not let him be in the films as well

    They changed his character model for the game. It's more of a voice role with the benefit of some recognizable features carrying over to the game. I'd be shocked but not upset if they go with him for movies! He seems young, fit, happy to do it, experienced now, and out of left field.
  • edited September 8 Posts: 5,890
    Risico007 wrote: »
    So why dont we think Patrick Gibson will make the transition to films?

    Honestly he is likely an Eon casting as he was cast long before the amazon take over so why not let him be in the films as well

    They don't use his whole appearance though, do they? It's an amalgamation of him and a Bond-like avatar. Obviously it's his voice, although I think he's putting on an accent?

    Video games and film are different things. Andrew Bicknell (the Agent Under Fire voice actor, and to some extent I believe they used some of his likeness) wouldn't necessarily have made an appropriate cinematic Bond. Same thing here.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,862
    Let Amazon introduce Bond 7 in a similar vein. Connery at his coolest!
    https://youtube.com/shorts/t2_g12YtQ9Q?si=9qyqI8fTo5KFYDrM
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    edited September 8 Posts: 1,111
    He’s been altered somewhat for the game. He’s five foot nine and a half and a red-head in real life, which isn’t a deal-breaker but needs some prep for live-action. I mainly know him from The O.A. , where he was not very Bond-ish. I think he could play 007, but there are probably better candidates. I doubt Amazon would like the idea of arranging a big press-release revealing him as Bond to the world when a games company had already done so a year ago, so I can’t see it happening. I guess if the game is a huge success and everyone loves him it could happen.
  • edited September 8 Posts: 5,890
    He’s been altered somewhat for the game. He’s five foot nine and a half and a red-head in real life, which isn’t a deal-breaker but needs some prep for live-action. I mainly know him from The O.A. , where he was not very Bond-ish. I think he could play 007, but there are probably better candidates. I doubt Amazon would like the idea of arranging a big press-release revealing him as Bond to the world when a games company had already done so a year ago, so I can’t see it happening. I guess if the game is a huge success and everyone loves him it could happen.

    He makes sense as the lead for a video game voice revolving around a youthful Bond. But it's simply a different thing for a live movie. I really don't think they're going quite as young with the character compared to the video game either.

    I'd think of Patrick Gibson as more of a Toby Stephens, Andrew Bicknell, or Michael Jayston. In fact Stephens is the closest example in this case. Could he have played Bond at one point? Maybe... sort of. But he wouldn't necessarily have been the best candidate for a cinematic Bond. He's a wonderful voice actor for the character though and works in those radio adaptations. Amazing legacy for all those actors to have incidentally, and much deserved for all of them. But it's a different thing for the film Bond.
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