Henry Cavill reveals that he was almost cast as James Bond, recalling how the auditions came down to just him and Daniel Craig. Last year, audiences bid goodbye to Craig's Bond after 15 years and five stand-out appearances under his belt. From his debut in 2006's Casino Royale, Craig quickly became a fan-favorite Bond for many, though No Time To Die quashed any hopes of a future reprisal of the role as Craig's final performance concluded with the first ever on-screen Bond death.
Securing the role of the suave and sophisticated 007 agent has become one of Hollywood's most-coveted achievements, and recently conversations surrounding just who will take over the role from Craig have been rife with rumor-fueled speculation. Since Craig's exit, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has spoken candidly about their current search for the next Bond, though, naturally, very few details have been revealed, nor have any names been officially dropped as to who could be in the running. Among the fan favorites are Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page, Idris Elba, and Tom Hardy, as well as the DCEU's very own Superman, Cavill, who has now revealed that he was once incredibly close to securing the role.
While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cavill opened up about up his audition experience for Bond, revealing that in the end it ultimately came down to him and Craig. Cavill graciously stated that Craig's casting was "an amazing choice" before continuing that, looking back, he "probably wasn't ready" to take on such a role at the time. The actor continued by sharing that the audition process was a "fun adventure" and that the silver lining was that it offered him a career boost. Check out Cavill's full quote below.
They told me I was close. They told me it was ultimately down to, and this is what I've been told, it was just down to me and Daniel [Craig], and I was the younger option. They obviously went with Daniel and I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel. I probably wasn't ready at the time and I think Daniel did an incredible job over the past movies, so I'm happy they made that choice. It was a fun adventure at the time, and definitely gave me a boost to my career. That was the key element of it.
Why Henry Cavill Will Likely Not Play James Bond
Cavill did not shut down speculation entirely though, as the actor continued that it would be "fun to have the conversation" about playing Bond this time. However, despite campaigns from audiences to see Cavill take over the role as Craig's successor, it's fair to say that Cavill is not likely to take on the mantle of 007 this time around either. In a rather exciting recent announcement, Cavill confirmed that he will be officially returning as Superman in the DC Universe after many had begun to lose hope that the star would ever reprise his role as the Man of Steel. Having teased an exciting future ahead for the beloved hero, it's likely that a big undertaking such as this would, unfortunately, conflict with the major commitment that also comes with playing Bond.
It's interesting to hear that Cavill came so close to playing such an iconic role, though it's undoubtedly even more interesting to hear him reflect on the entire experience now. No doubt losing the role of Bond would have been rather frustrating, though it's fair to say that it ultimately paid off for Cavill as the actor has since gone on to become a household name as the lead of another major franchise with the DCEU. While Cavill did not entirely dismiss the possibility of going for the role again, only time will tell just who will take on the role of Bond next.
Source: Happy Sad Confused