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Personally I feel he very much reflected James Bond, particularly when younger in films like Notorious. He had the height, lean but athletic physique, charisma and while quite suave and sophisticated, also could convey a certain cruelness when required. Facially he was certainly handsome and distinctive looking, but again there was still a certain cruelty to him as well.
That's why I think EON have been quite smart to vary the emphasis when they switch actors, to keep all of us happy.
It's actually quite a miracle imho that Sean Connery is seen as the best by most after all these years. I don't think it's because he was the first.
This photo captures James Bond imho, in every way. It's all there, and that's just the look. Add in the acting and style and it's a home run.
Aidan Turner is definitely no wimp himself, but in a suit he looks no different than how Bond SHOULD look. The traditional tall dark and handsome which Fleming gave as a template.
As much as I like Craig as Bond, the whole "suaveness" have been missing a bit in his tenure, if you ask me. With a new actor likely to be in place for Bond 26, I'm probably not alone in wanting EON to go back to the classy and sophisticated spy, and not just the killer Bond is now.
Looking at the candidates we are discussing, there probably aren't many with the on-screen charisma to carry that style of Bond off.
I knew what you meant @Torgeirtrap and I fully agree on all points.
Yes, that's true. I read about that last night actually. Fascinating.
"By 1958, Fleming was considering the possibility of a Bond feature film and he worked with Ivar Bryce, Irish writer/director Kevin McClory and writer Jack Whittingham to develop an original script. It had been hoped the film would go into production in 1960 with Richard Burton playing Bond and Hitchcock directing, but McClory was unable to raise the finances. Fleming then repurposed much of the script into 1961 novel Thunderball, which led to McClory and Whittingham suing the author for breach of copyright."
"One of the outcomes of the script development was turn Bond from the "ruthless, sadistic and misogynistic" secret agent of Fleming's early novels into a "much more suave character who was keen on women and affairs". It is believed that Fleming, McClory and Whittingham were influenced by the character of Roger Thornhill (played by Cary Grant) in Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959)."
"In his book The Battle For Bond, Robert Sellers republished a telegram sent by Fleming to novelist Eric Ambler in September 1959:
Pro-Hitch
Have written Bond movie treatment featuring Mafia stolen atomic bomber blackmail of England culminating Nassau with extensive underwater dramatics. This for my friend Ivar Bryce's Xanadu Films Ltd which recently completed Boy and Bridge England's choice for Venice Festival but blasted by critics and flop at Curzon though now doing excellently on pre-release Rank circuit. Producer Kevin McClory. Would Hitchcock be interested in directing this first Bond film in association with Xanadu? Plentiful finance available. This purely old boy enquiry without involvement but think we might all have a winner particularly if you were conceivably interested in scripting.
Regardest
Ian Fleming"
https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/James_Bond
And even if he's from the 80's, it would be the first time a decade (70s) didn't yield a JB actor since the 20s. (I'm aware of how entirely meaningless this all is, of course. Felt like sharing though.)
And if you count Niven, we also had one born in the 10s. The 30s is the only decade that gave us two.
Lifting weights 10 hours a week? Anyone that needs to spend that much time just to look like Craig even in CR is a very different kind of subhuman species.
People overstate Craig's physique for the role. When you consider all the things Bond has done and is expected to do; coupled with advancements in knowledge of nutrition, health and fitness Bond at the very least should have a physique like Craig's in Tomb Raider/Layer Cake or Matt Damon's in Bourne Identity.
Lazenby was tall and lean and tough but his body lacked tonal definition. There are teenagers who go to the gym only twice a week that look physically/aesthetically better.
Bond needs to at least look decent and believable.
But unlike Damon and Craig, Lazenby didn't just talk the talk. They might look like they could kick some ass, but Lazenby actually could.
I believe he meant starting with the 20s.
Exactly, @doubleoego -- I am sure if Fleming were here today, with the research he put into his work, his James Bond would be put through the ringer to be in peak physical condition (but he would still have an outsider's edginess-- he may dislike the demands of the training on his body, but knows they will save him in the future. However, no one, at any time, would ever be able to tame the hedonistic nature of Bond: he will indulge in whiskey, champagne and women, to his heart's content).
Craig is not overly developed at all, and;
Future Bonds will also reflect how much we know about modern fitness and nutrition.
Yep. That sentence is a real mouthful. :p
But I wasn't including non-EON actors in that.
He does have the physique for the role, no question about that! Almost on the too large scale, too.
As far as Cavill, he and Hemsworth , and Jackman for that matter, are the same in the sense that they have to train up to their superhero weight. It involves a lot of lifting and a lot of eating; if Cavill or Hemsworth were cast as Bond it would be more than easy for them to train down to suit the role.
We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.
:)
Agreed @talos7 -- Craig's fit and looks like he could slip into the training regiment of any Special Forces.
He is not, and has never been, a bodybuilder-- those types of (freakish) bodies could never compete in anything remotely associated with military drills.
Future Bonds will certainly trim themselves to this modern standard (methinks Brosnan will be the last Bond to not regularly hit the gym to be in character).
I suppose if the actor were dramatically short of hair before he were cast it might cause some Twitter comments like "we don't want a bald Bond!" I doubt anyone knew Sean Connery was a bit thin on top when he appeared in Dr. No. They didn't have social media back then so it helped.
That's because he was a martial artist. The guy wasn't even an actor. Sammo Hung would/could murder anyone that's ever been cast in a Bond film but that doesn't mean we need an actor of his size cast inn the lead role just because they CAN actually kick ass.