Sam Heughan is thinking about the time he tried out for the role of James Bond and how his life may have been altered now if he had been cast.
The 42-year-old Outlander star, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote the launch of his forthcoming memoir Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, reflected on his disappointment at being passed over for the role of James Bond, which ultimately went to Daniel Craig.
Heughan told EW that the audition was “quite an experience,” but he now wonders what would have occurred if he had gotten the role. In his autobiography, the actor explains, “When I found out I hadn’t gotten the part, the comments I got boiled down to the notion that I wasn’t edgy enough by nature.”
He adds, as reported by EW, “I’m always eager to take on critique so I can better as an actor,” but the implication appeared to be that he lacked this characteristic in his genuine character. It was beyond my control, and I fated to be that way, even though I couldn’t fathom what impact it would have on portraying the character.
Heughan would prefer to see another Scottish Bond, but he recognizes that Daniel Craig, now 54, has made Bond his own. The actor also pays tribute to Sean Connery, a fellow Scot whom he describes as “the true idol” and who, as Bond, has all the requisite qualities (charm, ferocity, physicality, and accent) to fully realize the role.
With Craig’s retirement as Bond following 2021’s No Time to Die, Heughan’s Bond audition story arrives when speculation persists over who will succeed him in the role.
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Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli revealed they are still researching pitching candidates for the job following Craig’s departure, including 62-year-old Broccoli’s favorite, Idris Elba. The interview was released last month in Variety.
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