Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    I enjoyed 'The Night Manager' so I might have to check this one out, as well. The Waif from GoT is in it, as well.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I enjoyed 'The Night Manager' so I might have to check this one out, as well. The Waif from GoT is in it, as well.

    Me too.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
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  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
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  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I could see it. :))
    ed04303fe5f539f6cecab7623888540c--style-movie-los-simpsons.jpg
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    What about this stud?

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  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Sure. =))
  • CASINOROYALECASINOROYALE Somewhere hot
    Posts: 1,003
    My Mom said George Clooney...
    Gasp.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Clooney in The Peacemaker (1997) certainly exuded a fair amount of Connery style machismo. In fact, I don't think I've seen anyone get that close since. He wasn't playing Bond of course, but he clearly was very credible as a Special Forces Lieutenant.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Clooney instead of Brosnan? Yes, please.
  • The only Americans I could have ever seen as Bond are Robert Downey Jr and Jon Hamm. Never really thought of Clooney but it could have worked.

    I'm not opposed to an American playing Bond anyway. I'm British but personally I don't care what nationality the actor is as long as they can nail the accent (I know Connery and Brosnan didn't always sound English but close enough). If you look at Jon Hamm he's pretty much perfect for Bond. He's got that pure Connery esque masculinity/magnetism that not many actors have nowadays. If another actor in that vein comes along in the future then I'd hate for him to be disqualified based on where he's from.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    @thelivingroyale, Hamm definitely has the confidence and physique for Bond. He is such a compelling character as Don Draper. However, I've yet to see him make any sort of impression on the big screen in any other role. It's almost like he was perfect casting for Mad Men but that's about it.

    If you haven't seen The Peacemaker, I recommend it. Clooney is still in his notorious 'head shaking' phase of acting (which I believe he finally gave up in Out of Sight), but he is excellent in that film.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    I would be very upset if they cast an American. Its such an iconic british role.
  • bondjames wrote: »
    @thelivingroyale, Hamm definitely has the confidence and physique for Bond. He is such a compelling character as Don Draper. However, I've yet to see him make any sort of impression on the big screen in any other role. It's almost like he was perfect casting for Mad Men but that's about it.

    If you haven't seen The Peacemaker, I recommend it. Clooney is still in his notorious 'head shaking' phase of acting (which I believe he finally gave up in Out of Sight), but he is excellent in that film.

    Never heard of it before but just looked it up and it does sound like my sort of thing, I'll have to check it out @bondjames. And yeah to be honest I was basing Hamm's suitability for Bond entirely off Don Draper. But he really did nail that and show why he'd be a great Bond in the proccess.

    I've seen him in a couple of other things (Black Mirror, Baby Driver) and he's did well in those parts as well, so I think the lack of an impact outside of Mad Men is probably down to a combination of just not being cast in the right part and that role casting such a big shadow over his career.

    I was about to say shame he's too old and that got me thinking. Would we rather cast a baby faced 28 year old and have to wait a few films for him to look like a man, or cast an older actor even if it's just for two or three films? I guess EON wouldn't want the hassle of recasting too often but it takes them the best part of half a decade to make them nowadays anyway so would that really be too bad? And the odds on any actor staying past four films seem pretty low nowadays anyway. I don't know. I just see actors who I think would be really good (Hamm, Fassbender, etc) but then on here it's all "they'll be too old, how about this guy" and it's someone in their 20s or even early 30s who would still look pathetic if you put him next to Craig or Connery. I'd rather have an actor in their 40s even if they only did a couple of films. But I'm speaking from personal preference, I don't know how well that would work from a business/production side of things.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited September 2017 Posts: 23,883
    bondjames wrote: »
    @thelivingroyale, Hamm definitely has the confidence and physique for Bond. He is such a compelling character as Don Draper. However, I've yet to see him make any sort of impression on the big screen in any other role. It's almost like he was perfect casting for Mad Men but that's about it.

    If you haven't seen The Peacemaker, I recommend it. Clooney is still in his notorious 'head shaking' phase of acting (which I believe he finally gave up in Out of Sight), but he is excellent in that film.

    Never heard of it before but just looked it up and it does sound like my sort of thing, I'll have to check it out @bondjames. And yeah to be honest I was basing Hamm's suitability for Bond entirely off Don Draper. But he really did nail that and show why he'd be a great Bond in the proccess.

    I've seen him in a couple of other things (Black Mirror, Baby Driver) and he's did well in those parts as well, so I think the lack of an impact outside of Mad Men is probably down to a combination of just not being cast in the right part and that role casting such a big shadow over his career.

    I was about to say shame he's too old and that got me thinking. Would we rather cast a baby faced 28 year old and have to wait a few films for him to look like a man, or cast an older actor even if it's just for two or three films? I guess EON wouldn't want the hassle of recasting too often but it takes them the best part of half a decade to make them nowadays anyway so would that really be too bad? And the odds on any actor staying past four films seem pretty low nowadays anyway. I don't know. I just see actors who I think would be really good (Hamm, Fassbender, etc) but then on here it's all "they'll be too old, how about this guy" and it's someone in their 20s or even early 30s who would still look pathetic if you put him next to Craig or Connery. I'd rather have an actor in their 40s even if they only did a couple of films. But I'm speaking from personal preference, I don't know how well that would work from a business/production side of things.
    Hamm was so good as Draper that I can see him as any number of heroes in addition to Bond as a result, including Superman or even Bruce Wayne. He had that sort of old school smouldering maturity in that show that we hardly see anymore, regrettably.

    With regards to age, I have no problem with them casting someone in their late 30s or early 40s, and you're right that there are folks out there right now who I think could take the baton and run with it for at least another decade (like Fassbender, should he want it) and honestly, I really hoped they would go that way for B25.

    I'm not too keen on a 20 year old, but that's not because I'm discriminating based on their youth. Rather, it's because I don't know too many who can give off that knowing mature air which I believe Bond must have, especially after Craig has just done the reboot rookie thing (I don't want another hard reset).
  • Posts: 15,106
    The only Americans I could have ever seen as Bond are Robert Downey Jr and Jon Hamm. Never really thought of Clooney but it could have worked.

    I'm not opposed to an American playing Bond anyway. I'm British but personally I don't care what nationality the actor is as long as they can nail the accent (I know Connery and Brosnan didn't always sound English but close enough). If you look at Jon Hamm he's pretty much perfect for Bond. He's got that pure Connery esque masculinity/magnetism that not many actors have nowadays. If another actor in that vein comes along in the future then I'd hate for him to be disqualified based on where he's from.

    And we know how good American actors are at doing British accents and sounding very natural at it.

    And Connery was British, last time I checked. A Scottish accent IS a British accent.
  • Posts: 16,149
    bondjames wrote: »
    @thelivingroyale, Hamm definitely has the confidence and physique for Bond. He is such a compelling character as Don Draper. However, I've yet to see him make any sort of impression on the big screen in any other role. It's almost like he was perfect casting for Mad Men but that's about it.

    If you haven't seen The Peacemaker, I recommend it. Clooney is still in his notorious 'head shaking' phase of acting (which I believe he finally gave up in Out of Sight), but he is excellent in that film.

    Never heard of it before but just looked it up and it does sound like my sort of thing, I'll have to check it out @bondjames. And yeah to be honest I was basing Hamm's suitability for Bond entirely off Don Draper. But he really did nail that and show why he'd be a great Bond in the proccess.

    I've seen him in a couple of other things (Black Mirror, Baby Driver) and he's did well in those parts as well, so I think the lack of an impact outside of Mad Men is probably down to a combination of just not being cast in the right part and that role casting such a big shadow over his career.

    I was about to say shame he's too old and that got me thinking. Would we rather cast a baby faced 28 year old and have to wait a few films for him to look like a man, or cast an older actor even if it's just for two or three films? I guess EON wouldn't want the hassle of recasting too often but it takes them the best part of half a decade to make them nowadays anyway so would that really be too bad? And the odds on any actor staying past four films seem pretty low nowadays anyway. I don't know. I just see actors who I think would be really good (Hamm, Fassbender, etc) but then on here it's all "they'll be too old, how about this guy" and it's someone in their 20s or even early 30s who would still look pathetic if you put him next to Craig or Connery. I'd rather have an actor in their 40s even if they only did a couple of films. But I'm speaking from personal preference, I don't know how well that would work from a business/production side of things.

    I feel the same really. I don't want a baby faced Bond who looks like he'd need to be explained what chemin de fer is. I much prefer a worldly Bond who has seen it all and done it all. Many actors in their 30's today, simply don't have the maturity to convince me they'd actually be Bond.
  • edited September 2017 Posts: 12,837
    Ludovico wrote: »
    The only Americans I could have ever seen as Bond are Robert Downey Jr and Jon Hamm. Never really thought of Clooney but it could have worked.

    I'm not opposed to an American playing Bond anyway. I'm British but personally I don't care what nationality the actor is as long as they can nail the accent (I know Connery and Brosnan didn't always sound English but close enough). If you look at Jon Hamm he's pretty much perfect for Bond. He's got that pure Connery esque masculinity/magnetism that not many actors have nowadays. If another actor in that vein comes along in the future then I'd hate for him to be disqualified based on where he's from.

    And we know how good American actors are at doing British accents and sounding very natural at it.

    And Connery was British, last time I checked. A Scottish accent IS a British accent.

    I know, which is why I said he didn't sound English, not that he didn't sound British. And given that Bond is meant to have gone to Eton for most of his school years and lived in England almost his whole life, you'd expect him to have an English accent. Connery sounded more and more Scottish as he went on and Brosnan just used his normal Anglo-Irish-American voice in all his films (which is weird because I've seen him do proper English accents in other films) but I think both of them sounded close enough to an English accent for it not to be an issue. That was what I was trying to say.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Moore sounded the most English of the lot imho (perhaps because he was). Craig is 2nd (again, because he is).
  • Posts: 15,106
    I know plenty of Scots who spent their life in England and had higher education and still kept their Scottish accent. My take on an American Bond actor: let's not even try. Didn't work with Robin Hood, or indeed borderline every British role, iconic or not.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I don't think we should exclude based on nationality just on principle. Acting is a skill. A decent enough actor could pull it off, but I admit it's unlikely that someone will come along who is so suitable in other ways that the producers will have to go there.

    We've discussed this somewhere before. The women tend to do a better job with the English accent then the men generally imho.
  • Ludovico wrote: »
    I know plenty of Scots who spent their life in England and had higher education and still kept their Scottish accent. My take on an American Bond actor: let's not even try. Didn't work with Robin Hood, or indeed borderline every British role, iconic or not.

    But until SF was there any indication Bond spent his childhood in Scotland? I can't remember what the YOLT obituary said but even so, the Scottish father was just a nod to Connery anyway wasn't it and either way I think Bond was always supposed to have an RP accent, Connery even seems to be attempting one in his earlier films (or at least toning his own accent down). I can't imagine when Fleming was writing the books he pictured him as having anything but.

    And I think some Americans have done fine. Weren't all the band members in Spinal Tap played by Americans? And I think Robert Downey Jr was a great Sherlock Holmes. I'm with @bondjames. They shouldn't discriminate based on nationality. And if the accent wasn't up to scratch then they likely wouldn't get past the screen test since I imagine EON would be strict about that. Although MGW was around when James Brolin was nearly cast and in his screentest he just didn't even seem to be attempting one so you never know.
  • Posts: 3,333
    I too always believed Fleming had written the obituary in YOLT book for Connery, @thelivingroyale, but according to Charles Helfenstein, author of The Making of OHMSS, that wasn't true; Fleming was of Scottish descent himself and based Bond's heritage partly on himself not on Connery's. Charles Helfenstein was given complete access to the Fleming estate files and unearthed that Fleming had begun his research of hereditary with a correspondent at College of Arms in London long before Connery was cast as Bond. Even if Cary Grant had been cast as Bond, Fleming still intended to give his Bond creation a Scottish background.

    The SF connection has nothing to do with Fleming, as Master Bond was brought up abroad until his parents mountain climbing accident. After the death of his parents, Bond goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, in the village of Pett Bottom, where he completes his early education. Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves because of girl trouble with a maid After being sent down from Eton, Bond was sent to Fettes College in Scotland, his father's school. It's only Fettes that connects Bond physically to Scotland, not SF. It was this distortion of Fleming's family background that grated with many of us fans after watching the movie, though I'll admit it didn't bother near enough everyone. Bond's mother was Swiss, but little is mentioned of this. For all intents and purposes, the young Bond is more Swiss than he is Scottish, party due to him spending his formative years in and around Switzerland and not Scotland.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,767
    Still, it's not wrong to suggest that Fleming warmed to Connery in the Bond role and eventually firmed up a stronger Scot link to mirror his own--in line with his interests and research, as you identified.

    And I won't fault the filmmakers for essentially doing the same thing. It's better for their film storytelling to show the character's background recalling Connery and Fleming himself. A valuable exaggeration of what the author started. In execution, well done.
  • Posts: 15,106
    It doesn't matter what SF said or didn't. It is and has always been plausible that Bond spent his childhood in Scotland.

    Very few American actors could give a convincing British accent.As for Robert Downey Jr his accent was o.k. at best. As for his portrayal of Holmes it was rather mediocre and superficial. I don't think we should discriminate but from experience American actors playing discriminated themselves.
  • edited September 2017 Posts: 3,333
    That's right, @RichardTheBruce, having not been entirely convinced by his initial casting nor his first performance in DN, Fleming did eventually warm to Connery after seeing his excellent performance in FRWL. Sadly, Fleming didn't live to see GF or the Bond phenomenon take-off. The "Fleming made Bond partly a Scott because of Connery" is a myth that's been said so many times, much like OHMSS was a flop or Dalton was offered the role before Lazenby, that people believe it to be true.

    Even though I don't tend to share a lot in common with @Ludovico's thoughts on Bond, I feel he is correct in his review of Robert Downey Jr's twee English accent: it was just about OK.
  • edited September 2017 Posts: 12,837
    bondsum wrote: »
    I too always believed Fleming had written the obituary in YOLT book for Connery, @thelivingroyale, but according to Charles Helfenstein, author of The Making of OHMSS, that wasn't true; Fleming was of Scottish descent himself and based Bond's heritage partly on himself not on Connery's. Charles Helfenstein was given complete access to the Fleming estate files and unearthed that Fleming had begun his research of hereditary with a correspondent at College of Arms in London long before Connery was cast as Bond. Even if Cary Grant had been cast as Bond, Fleming still intended to give his Bond creation a Scottish background.

    The SF connection has nothing to do with Fleming, as Master Bond was brought up abroad until his parents mountain climbing accident. After the death of his parents, Bond goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, in the village of Pett Bottom, where he completes his early education. Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves because of girl trouble with a maid After being sent down from Eton, Bond was sent to Fettes College in Scotland, his father's school. It's only Fettes that connects Bond physically to Scotland, not SF. It was this distortion of Fleming's family background that grated with many of us fans after watching the movie, though I'll admit it didn't bother near enough everyone. Bond's mother was Swiss, but little is mentioned of this. For all intents and purposes, the young Bond is more Swiss than he is Scottish, party due to him spending his formative years in and around Switzerland and not Scotland.

    Cheers for that @bondsum, didn't know that about Fleming. So Bond lived abroad, then in England, then finished school in Scotland before moving back to England. That to me settles it that he should on balance sound English, probably an RP accent since he's pretty posh. I've got no problem with Connery or Brosnan's accents, thought they were close enough and at least sounded British, but I thought since we were on about if an American could get the accent right it was worth pointing out that two of the actors so far arguably didn't nail the accent already.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,247
    I think people shouldn't get too hung up on the accent. People with strong international ties or backgrounds in which they often moved adjust to their environment. My own accent in my home language is a hodgepodge, and my English apparently Northern English. I know a lot of people who's accents are only faguely reminders of where they lived, or more often strongly influenced by where they live now. My father, who's lived north for most of his lives, gets his southrn childhood accent whenever he ends up there. Accents, thus, are very flued things with those who've never stayed too long in one place.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    I think the only American, who both looks the part and can do a convincing English accent ia John Hamm. I would still infinitely prefer someone British though.

    I have to say at the moment we are in a sticky situation where no candidates really stand out from the pack.
  • edited September 2017 Posts: 2,915
    bondsum wrote: »
    I too always believed Fleming had written the obituary in YOLT book for Connery, @thelivingroyale, but according to Charles Helfenstein, author of The Making of OHMSS, that wasn't true; Fleming was of Scottish descent himself and based Bond's heritage partly on himself not on Connery's. Charles Helfenstein was given complete access to the Fleming estate files and unearthed that Fleming had begun his research of hereditary with a correspondent at College of Arms in London long before Connery was cast as Bond. Even if Cary Grant had been cast as Bond, Fleming still intended to give his Bond creation a Scottish background.

    Yes and no. The facts are that in every previous book Bond was referred to--by the characters and the narrator--as English. There were no indications otherwise. Fleming might have started researching Bond's roots years before Connery, with an eye to making the character share part of his own ancestry, but it was only after Connery was cast that Bond suddenly and loudly revealed his hidden heritage. In OHMSS Bond says "My father was a Scot and my mother was Swiss" and later tells Tracy "we can be married again in an English church, or Scottish rather. That's where I come from." Connery's casting prompted Fleming to stress Bond's latent Scottishness.

    As for casting an American in the role--that would rightly be regarded as an insult to the British, for whom Bond is a national/cultural hero. Furthermore, we already know that American actors rarely succeed with convincing English accents, and even when they do there is still a note of play-acting in their performance. And the Bond films already have a large amount of Americans involved--casting an American as Bond would be a step too far. And it would be pointless, since Britain is renowned for the excellence of its actors--that is why they've even played quintessentially American roles, from Abraham Lincoln to Spider Man. There is very little chance of an American getting the part.
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