Henry Cavill‘s age worked against him when auditioning to play James Bond.
The “Man of Steel” actor was the second choice to portray 007 in the 2006 franchise revamp “Casino Royale,” with director Martin Campbell now revealing that Cavill would have been cast if he appeared older — and if Daniel Craig wasn’t available.
“He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous,” Campbell said in an interview with Express UK. “And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”
Sam Heughan and Matthew Rhys were also in the running to take on the role that eventually went to Craig, who led the Bond film series until 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
Longtime franchise casting director Debbie McWilliams, who has worked on the films since 1981, recently revealed that the next Bond actor will need to possess a mature “gravitas” to take on the part.
“When we started, it was a slightly different feel,” McWilliams said earlier this year. “We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don’t think they had the gravitas. They didn’t have the experience, they didn’t have the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the part they’re taking on, it’s a massive responsibility.”
McWilliams added, “So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again.”
While age is a key factor being considered in the casting process, international recognition is not. McWilliams said that the next Bond doesn’t necessarily have to be world famous, recalling that Craig was a relatively unknown actor before “Casino Royale.”
“A certain audience had heard of Daniel Craig, but much more the kind of independent cinema audience,” she said. “He hadn’t done any huge commercial film at all, really — ‘Layer Cake’ I suppose was the most popular, should we say, of the things he had done prior to Bond, but he wasn’t a hugely well-known actor.”
Producer Michael G. Wilson recently echoed McWilliams’ sentiments about casting an older actor, noting that the new Bond “isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off” and instead is a “veteran” of the British spy world.
“That’s why it works for a 30-something,” Wilson said.
