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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Folks that's James Bond. I know a lot of guys can ironically get this look but that is James Bond
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.
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.
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.
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/corey-mylchreest-hostage-netflix-b1244006.html
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!
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.
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.
https://youtube.com/shorts/t2_g12YtQ9Q?si=9qyqI8fTo5KFYDrM
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.
None of them quite do it for me. I can see why they picked Cavill to progress though. It's interesting that he changed up his performance with each take (I suspect he might even have gotten more direction from the casting director compared to the others - by the end he's much more snappy and serious towards Onnatop). I think he lacks personality as Bond, and it's tricky seeing exactly what he would have brought to the role (hence why they probably gave him that direction/tried to find the best angle for him). To his credit it's a relatively smooth, confident audition though. He's one of these 'good enough' candidates. Nine times out of ten there's someone better. I think we'll have that this round of auditions with certain actors.
Worthington messed up his audition. It's one of those nightmare scenarios for an actor.
Anthony Starr was fine. Convincing accent. A bit too smarmy though. Too many head tilts! Not quite right for Bond, but at least he did his own thing with it.
I would say certain actors in that lot just 'got' the scene more than others. It's a great scene to use as a test because it's not just Bond chatting up a woman in a casino. The actor has to get how and why Bond is 'playing' Onnatop, charming her up until the moment he lets her know he's onto her. There's quite a lot going on. There's also the subtle gags that the actor has to convey, which none of them quite nailed. I think Starr and Friend had a better understanding of the scene. Cavill at points seemed like he was just reciting words without much going on. Worthington could barely remember the lines.
I think it shows that Craig was the right choice. I really can't see any of these actors bringing anything better to Bond. Tough role to audition for, and indeed to pick!
On the other hand, simply because someone is an incredible actor doesn't mean they would make a great Bond; appearance and physical attributes do figure into the equation. As we've seen throughout this thread, I do realize that this is very subjective.
With all of that said, as strong of an actor as he may be, I cannot see Josh O’Connor as Bond. I'm not going to get into specifics but I find his look severely lacking and just wrong.
It would certainly be fun to watch him climb it, but that doesn't mean he's the best candidate.
Anyway, why this preference for actors who look like French singers?