Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • Posts: 4,139
    Brosnan’s not a natural vocal actor to be fair. And EON’s such a great game it stands on its own. Brosnan’s voice alone adds legitimacy regardless.

    Personally, from what I remember it was still better than his performance in TWINE, so…
  • edited April 2 Posts: 579
    Risico007 wrote: »
    Tom hardy has officially been cast as 007 for a trilogy of films directed by Chris nolan

    Good news! Looking forward to the movies.
  • Posts: 15,116
    Don't know if anyone saw this: https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/12663202/actor-stuntman-sean-bean-tom-cruise-james-bond/amp/

    Don't know how genuine this is, but if true, what an arrogant tw*t.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,207
    😂

    lTKEoLI.jpg
  • Posts: 4,139
    Does this guy have a family member who works for The Sun or something? What a random article.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,646
    He's obviously had some sort of work done to his face. What a joke.
  • Posts: 4,139
    LucknFate wrote: »
    He's obviously had some sort of work done to his face. What a joke.

    It’s his hairline that jumps out at me. Nothing natural about it.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,183
    Denbigh wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Oh yes I forgot about GoldenEye; I was thinking of 007 Legends where someone else did a (really good) impersonation of his voice.
    Yeah that was a really good impersonation. I’m still shocked that Brosnan only voiced EON, given how culturally iconic video games were for his era as James Bond.

    I remember first playing Nightfire, being really excited and impressed to see Brosnan realized in, what was at the time, state of the art PS2 graphics. It felt like we were getting a bonus film. I remember online clips sharing footage of Brosnan having his face digitally scanned at the game studios. They did a really good job with that.

    hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLD_W1eiT7W8PuK3h19Bz0EzFaSkJA


    But then I finally play the game and when Bond opens his mouth and it sounds nothing like Brosnan. That got remedied with EON, but still.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Don't know if anyone saw this: https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/12663202/actor-stuntman-sean-bean-tom-cruise-james-bond/amp/

    Don't know how genuine this is, but if true, what an arrogant tw*t.

    I have 2nd hand embarrassment at seeing someone try so hard, and yet doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell.

    And that article was DEFINITELY paid for by his team. Look at how the article talks him up, then go and look at his IMDB page.
  • Posts: 15,116
    007HallY wrote: »
    Does this guy have a family member who works for The Sun or something? What a random article.

    Well, it's April, I guess news are a bit slow.
  • Posts: 2,266
    Denbigh wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Oh yes I forgot about GoldenEye; I was thinking of 007 Legends where someone else did a (really good) impersonation of his voice.
    Yeah that was a really good impersonation. I’m still shocked that Brosnan only voiced EON, given how culturally iconic video games were for his era as James Bond.

    I remember first playing Nightfire, being really excited and impressed to see Brosnan realized in, what was at the time, state of the art PS2 graphics. It felt like we were getting a bonus film. I remember online clips sharing footage of Brosnan having his face digitally scanned at the game studios. They did a really good job with that.

    hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLD_W1eiT7W8PuK3h19Bz0EzFaSkJA


    But then I finally play the game and when Bond opens his mouth and it sounds nothing like Brosnan. That got remedied with EON, but still.

    It’s pretty funny knowing that it’s actually the guy from “Grease 2” voicing Bond in Nightfire.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    Denbigh wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Oh yes I forgot about GoldenEye; I was thinking of 007 Legends where someone else did a (really good) impersonation of his voice.
    Yeah that was a really good impersonation. I’m still shocked that Brosnan only voiced EON, given how culturally iconic video games were for his era as James Bond.

    I remember first playing Nightfire, being really excited and impressed to see Brosnan realized in, what was at the time, state of the art PS2 graphics. It felt like we were getting a bonus film. I remember online clips sharing footage of Brosnan having his face digitally scanned at the game studios. They did a really good job with that.

    hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLD_W1eiT7W8PuK3h19Bz0EzFaSkJA


    But then I finally play the game and when Bond opens his mouth and it sounds nothing like Brosnan. That got remedied with EON, but still.

    It’s pretty funny knowing that it’s actually the guy from “Grease 2” voicing Bond in Nightfire.

    I share @MakeshiftPython's disappointment over the voice not fitting Brosnan. I also have fond memories of the game, even though as a PC gamer I got screwed. Entire parts of the game were left out, and the whole bloody thing made zero sense. Still, fun game.
  • Posts: 2,266
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Oh yes I forgot about GoldenEye; I was thinking of 007 Legends where someone else did a (really good) impersonation of his voice.
    Yeah that was a really good impersonation. I’m still shocked that Brosnan only voiced EON, given how culturally iconic video games were for his era as James Bond.

    I remember first playing Nightfire, being really excited and impressed to see Brosnan realized in, what was at the time, state of the art PS2 graphics. It felt like we were getting a bonus film. I remember online clips sharing footage of Brosnan having his face digitally scanned at the game studios. They did a really good job with that.

    hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLD_W1eiT7W8PuK3h19Bz0EzFaSkJA


    But then I finally play the game and when Bond opens his mouth and it sounds nothing like Brosnan. That got remedied with EON, but still.

    It’s pretty funny knowing that it’s actually the guy from “Grease 2” voicing Bond in Nightfire.

    I share @MakeshiftPython's disappointment over the voice not fitting Brosnan. I also have fond memories of the game, even though as a PC gamer I got screwed. Entire parts of the game were left out, and the whole bloody thing made zero sense. Still, fun game.

    I’m disappointed too, but I also kind of like the voice they do have though. It would have gone nicely with a generic Bond model like the one from AUF.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,183
    IIRC Nightfire was supposed to have a generic Bond model, and Brosnan was added at the relatively late. MGM wanted Brosnan’s likeness featured because both the game and DAD were coming out around the same time, so it just made sense have them feature the same star as a way of cross promoting. I can’t blame them on that.
  • George_KaplanGeorge_Kaplan Being chauffeured by Tibbett
    Posts: 682
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Don't know if anyone saw this: https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/12663202/actor-stuntman-sean-bean-tom-cruise-james-bond/amp/

    Don't know how genuine this is, but if true, what an arrogant tw*t.

    I have 2nd hand embarrassment at seeing someone try so hard, and yet doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell.

    And that article was DEFINITELY paid for by his team. Look at how the article talks him up, then go and look at his IMDB page.

    Reminds me a little of this guy: http://www.007magazine.co.uk/search/search_for_bond3g.htm
  • edited April 3 Posts: 346
    It struck me Aaron Taylor-Johnson's name sounds like a romance novelist.

    71-E8hXCsWL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

    I suppose if the acting work dries up he can have a go at romance novels.

    ;))
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    My one concern for ATJ is that if his "cor blimey" accent starts slipping in, like Connerys Scottish, and Daltons Welsh, then he could start to feel like Eggsys brother from the Kingsman series.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,383
    Dalton isn't Welsh; he had an Derbyshire accent.
  • edited April 3 Posts: 4,139
    A weird aside, but I kinda like how none of the Bond actors sound like they’re former public school boys, despite their voices being affected to some extent. Connery had his Scottish accent, Brosnan his slips of Irish between the Tran-Atlantic, Dalton his Northern English ones. Even Craig’s Bond had a less formal way of speaking at times (to the point odd Americanisms slip into his first two films), and while Moore had the most affected RADA tinged accent (despite being from South London of course) there’s something about how deep and relaxed his voice can be that makes it different from a Tom Hiddleston or someone with a more ‘clipped’ posh voice. Like it’s almost a pastiche of a ‘gentlemanly’ accent (not parody to be clear).

    I guess it hammers home the idea that Bond is an outlier to some extent. Even Fleming’s Bond looks odd and out of place in a London gentleman’s club. There’s also something quite unique about the idea that a boarding school educated character who spent his youth in continental Europe is almost exclusively played by regional actors, mostly from working class or lower middle class backgrounds.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited April 3 Posts: 8,395
    007HallY wrote: »
    A weird aside, but I kinda like how none of the Bond actors sound like they’re former public school boys, despite their voices being affected to some extent. Connery had his Scottish accent, Brosnan his slips of Irish between the Tran-Atlantic, Dalton his Northern English ones. Even Craig’s Bond had a less formal way of speaking at times (to the point odd Americanisms slip into his first two films), and while Moore had the most affected RADA tinged accent (despite being from South London of course) there’s something about how deep and relaxed his voice can be that makes it different from a Tom Hiddleston or someone with a more ‘clipped’ posh voice. Like it’s almost a pastiche of a ‘gentlemanly’ accent (not parody to be clear).

    I guess it hammers home the idea that Bond is an outlier to some extent. Even Fleming’s Bond looks odd and out of place in a London gentleman’s club. There’s also something quite unique about the idea that a boarding school educated character who spent his youth in continental Europe is almost exclusively played by regional actors, mostly from working class or lower middle class backgrounds.

    Like Cavill in the man from uncle?
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 942
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
    This pisses me off. The thing about Bond is that he is a throwback to the days when heroes could have posh accents and be tough and capable. This inverse snobbery is very American, and ignores that many of the toughest and most capable soldiers did have that kind of accent and education. I like Bond having a smooth, slightly posh accent, as long as it sounds natural and not forced; its part of the character's identity.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,016
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
    This pisses me off. The thing about Bond is that he is a throwback to the days when heroes could have posh accents and be tough and capable. This inverse snobbery is very American, and ignores that many of the toughest and most capable soldiers did have that kind of accent and education. I like Bond having a smooth, slightly posh accent, as long as it sounds natural and not forced; its part of the character's identity.

    Like George Sanders from The Golden Era of Hollywood? An accent like his?
  • edited April 3 Posts: 4,139
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
    This pisses me off. The thing about Bond is that he is a throwback to the days when heroes could have posh accents and be tough and capable. This inverse snobbery is very American, and ignores that many of the toughest and most capable soldiers did have that kind of accent and education. I like Bond having a smooth, slightly posh accent, as long as it sounds natural and not forced; its part of the character's identity.

    I’d say Bond’s poshness was never his fundamental trait though, even in the Fleming books. He was never meant to be some sort of gentlemanly aristocrat with a double barrel surname, notable ancestry or even overly high ideals (if anything that’s the kind of character Fleming was to some extent subverting). He’s a man with some rather ordinary habits despite his extraordinary job, he never quite fits in with the back slapping ‘old boys’ of the Service or at Blades, and even when we do get details of his background we learn that he was expelled from Eton and he’s not even English. He even calls himself a Scottish peasant. To some extent he’s an outlier and would never fit in with that world. Nor would he ever want to.

    The films kinda run with that irony I think, whether knowingly or not. I think there’s a reason why we get the likes of Connery or Craig playing this part.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 942
    I do like George Sanders, he was an amazing actor with a fantastic voice (All About Eve and Rebecca are favourites of mine), but I was specifically thinking of the comment that Hiddleston's accent was too posh to be tough. I don't want Bond to be part of this thing where you have to sound like you were brought up on the mean streets of a major city to be tough, it goes against Bond's identity.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
    This pisses me off. The thing about Bond is that he is a throwback to the days when heroes could have posh accents and be tough and capable. This inverse snobbery is very American, and ignores that many of the toughest and most capable soldiers did have that kind of accent and education. I like Bond having a smooth, slightly posh accent, as long as it sounds natural and not forced; its part of the character's identity.

    That's a good point to be fair, but is it not important to adapt with the times to a certain extent too?
  • Posts: 4,139
    A balance is needed. The problem with Tom Hiddleston (this is not a criticism of him or him as an actor by the way, just an issue with his Bond potential) is that he is and comes across as a child of public school. It’s easy to imagine him meeting up with his old school chums and reminiscing about ‘the old days’. George Sanders, a great actor, had a poshness to him that drifted more towards an authority and rigidity. Neither are Bond at all.

    All the actors had affected elements of their voice to some extent, but there’s a rebelliousness and transgressive humour to the character that means some element of irony is needed. So if a future Bond has slips of the accent, some informal elements of their speech, or even more than a twang of a regional accent, this is fine and in keeping with the cinematic Bond.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    edited April 3 Posts: 942
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    Connery's voice being so cool and iconic is a small part of the reason I think Bond has endured through the years. Everybody can imitate his voice and do a "Bond impression" it keeps Bond alive in casual fans minds, who don't know the films like we do. It's part of the iconography.

    It's a tricky thing Bond's accent, too far one way and he sounds like a bad Jason Statham impression trying to be intimidating, too far the other way, like a Hiddleston, then it's unbelievable this guy could be tough and capable.

    As for accent slips, Daniel had two I can remember off the top of my head. The American way he says "package" in NTTD and the almost scouse way he says "police force" in QOS.
    This pisses me off. The thing about Bond is that he is a throwback to the days when heroes could have posh accents and be tough and capable. This inverse snobbery is very American, and ignores that many of the toughest and most capable soldiers did have that kind of accent and education. I like Bond having a smooth, slightly posh accent, as long as it sounds natural and not forced; its part of the character's identity.

    That's a good point to be fair, but is it not important to adapt with the times to a certain extent too?

    Yeah, you have to adapt - Connery's Bond used to throw his hat across the room onto the hook as part of his trademark, but then hats went out of fashion and the films either had to stick with the hat and risk him looking jarringly old-fashioned, or abandoning it. They abandoned it because well-dressed men had stopped wearing hats with suits.

    That's not the same as saying Bond must have a working-class accent to be seen as credible, though. I don't want him to sound like a ridiculous caricature (and though I loved Fassbender and his character in Inglorious Basterds, that's perhaps a little too old fashioned for me) but Hiddleston's accent seems fine, imo.
  • Posts: 2,163
    I am watching the TV series of The Gentlemen and could definitely see Theo James as Bond, especially in Episode 2 when he is in a tuxedo and at a glamorous casino party.
  • edited April 4 Posts: 346
    007HallY wrote: »
    A balance is needed. The problem with Tom Hiddleston (this is not a criticism of him or him as an actor by the way, just an issue with his Bond potential) is that he is and comes across as a child of public school. It’s easy to imagine him meeting up with his old school chums and reminiscing about ‘the old days’. George Sanders, a great actor, had a poshness to him that drifted more towards an authority and rigidity. Neither are Bond at all.

    All the actors had affected elements of their voice to some extent, but there’s a rebelliousness and transgressive humour to the character that means some element of irony is needed. So if a future Bond has slips of the accent, some informal elements of their speech, or even more than a twang of a regional accent, this is fine and in keeping with the cinematic Bond.

    George Sanders played the Saint which was Bond lite, I guess. Roger Moore said the big difference between the Saint and James Bond was Simon Templar never killed people. Bond is a gentlemanly killer for the state. Arguably the basic appeal of Bond is his paradoxical nature. Part gentleman, part killer. I don't know if Cary Grant ever played any assassin/killer roles in his career. George Sanders did play a villain in an episode of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.

    I reckon Cubby Broccoli wasn't too concerned about Bond having a public school vibe. Sean Connery appeared to lessen his Scottish accent when cast. I don't know if Connery had a broader Scottish accent prior to acting. Connery's Bond didn't appear to belong to any social class (neutral class?) and that gave Bond universal appeal. The cinematic Bond seems an outlier. Bond is well educated so upper class perhaps but also a paid killer. We tend to associate paid killers with lower social class (hoodlums, contract killers, mobsters etc) so Bond is an outlier. The brutal realty of Bond's job doesn't make him a public schoolboy type even if he could be argued to be that in his formative years.
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