You Won't Believe Which Actors Said NO to James Bond

I admire your luck Mr Bond James Bond being offered the role of James Bond is like being handed a golden ticket to cinematic immortality but believe it or not some actors have actually said no to playing the world's most famous spy here are 10 stars who turn down the chance to Dawn the tux and order a shaken not stirred Martini Clint Eastwood the broccoli traditional avoided casting non-british actors as Bond though actors like the New Zealander Sam Neil and the Frenchman Lambert Wilson were considered in the late 60s Clint Eastwood was also a candidate to replace Shawn connory Eastwood declined feeling uncomfortable following connory and believing the role should go to a Brit despite Eastwood's suitability for the role's physical demands imagining him with an uppercrust English accent is quite challenging Liam niss for taken Non-Stop and any of the other apparently innumerable action films that Liam niss has appeared in over the past 15 years he could have traded a particular set of skills for a license to Kill Nissan was approached after the release of Schindler's List made him an A-list star however Nissan's then fiance Natasha Richardson with whom he was shooting the film Nell said to him Liam I want to tell you something if you play James Bond we're not getting married Christian Bale Barbara broccoli impressed by Bale's portrayal of Patrick baitman suggested the bond roll was his for the asking but Bale wasn't interested he criticized the bond franchise as very British and loathed the character calling him every despicable stereotype about England and British actors declaring I have already played a serial killer Bale's reluctance likely spared the studio from dealing with a less than enthusiastic bomb though his intense take would have been fascinatingly unorthodox Michael Gambon so Michael Gambon now celebrated for roles like Dumbledore and his award-winning stage work was once considered to replace sha connory as bond in the late 60s as a rising star in Lawrence Olivier's National Theater Gambon was one of the UK's most promising actors he claimed he turned down the role because he didn't fit Bon's image humorously noting I haven't got hair and I'm a bit fat and joked that Bon's hair was a wig Clive Owen Clive Owen famously associated with the bond role he never took on was widely considered a perfect fit after his charismatic performance in Kuper his Suave Persona even led to a cameo as Nigel Boswell agent 006 in the Pink Panther reinforcing the belief he was Bond material however Owen lost the role to Daniel Craig with speculation suggesting he either sought a share of the profits or avoided the typ casting that came with bond in any case Owen was able to declare in 2014 that Bond was the best thing that never happened to me showing an absence of regrets Dominic West Dominic West known for his versatility and candid interviews was considered for bond in 2005 but never fully explained why he didn't land the role he humorously recalled auditioning in and a t-shirt While others were in tuxedos trying to stand out with a casual approach in the end West did not pursue the role further it has been suggested that his audition was very strong but did not wish to stand in the way of Pierce bronnen Richard Burton in 1959 Richard Burton was a top Hollywood star known for his stage work and the film The Robe Bond author Ian Fleming approached Burton seeing him as a fitting choice for Bond's rug virility Burton declined citing his commitment to playing King Arthur on Broadway and dismissing Bond as just another movie a decade later after Shan connory left Burton again refused this time over salary disputes Carrie Grant Carrie Grant known for his swaave performance in Hitchcock's North by Northwest seemed a perfect fit for Bond making it unsurprising that producers Harry Saltzman and Albert cubby broccoli approached approached him for Dr No broccoli a close friend of Grant's was confident he'd accept however at 50 Grant felt he was too old for the ongoing commitment the role required he would play the part once he offered and then they could move on with another actor if they so desired James Mason ironically after Grant turned down the part the next choice for James Bond was his North by Northwest co-star and antagonist James Mason he turned down the role for similar reasons to Grant being in his early 50s at the time of being approached and not wishing to be held in a long-term commitment he was offered to play Bond twice rather than once but it was still not enough Lord Lucan Richard Bingham seventh Earl of Lucan now Infamous for his mysterious disappearance after allegedly murdering his children's nanny in 1974 was once considered for the role of James Bond his friend Ian Fleming suggested him for the part as Lucan who often gambled with Fleming at the clemont club and drove an Aston Martin embodied the Suave aristocratic image of 007 broccoli always keen on a good publicity angle offered Lucan a screen test but Lucan declined deciding against a future in acting [Music]