Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • Posts: 17,753
    Ludovico wrote: »
    This last picture of Connery makes me think of Dominic West somehow. West would have made a great Bond had his tenure started circa 2000-2005.

    I'd love Dominic West as Bond. He has that presence and on-screen charisma that would've made him a good fit. Too old for the part now of course, but I would be happy to see him as a villain – maybe an older, just as nasty (or nastier) Gustav Graves type of character.
  • Posts: 15,114
    West would be great as a villain. Back in 2000/2005 he would have made a younger looking Bond, yet suitably manly.
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    talos7 wrote: »
    Well, in Turner’s defense, plenty of photos can be found of all of the Bond actors looking pretty scruffy in their down time.

    This. Also, they are actors for a reason. How they look in their private life, just look at the previous Bonds, is their prerogative. When the time comes Turner should be in shape, from top to bottom, the new Bond incarnate.
  • Toby Stephens is a good one for "could have been" too I think, if they hadn't cast him as Graves. I always thought he'd be too poncey after watching him in DAD but then I saw him in other things and realised that was just how he was playing that character. He was great as a tough and grizzled character in Black Sails and has already played Bond really well in the Fleming radio adaptations. Could have been a good alternative to Craig if he'd turned it down imo.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    Also many actors let their hair grow in case a role comes up that requires it to be longer.
  • Posts: 15,114
    Toby Stephens is a good one for "could have been" too I think, if they hadn't cast him as Graves. I always thought he'd be too poncey after watching him in DAD but then I saw him in other things and realised that was just how he was playing that character. He was great as a tough and grizzled character in Black Sails and has already played Bond really well in the Fleming radio adaptations. Could have been a good alternative to Craig if he'd turned it down imo.

    I never saw Toby Stephens as Bond. After seeing him in And Then There Were None, however, I think he'd make a great Bond villain... If cast now and in a better written role. He was far too youthful and petulant to be menacing in DAD. Now he could look like the novel Drax.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Toby Stephens is a good one for "could have been" too I think, if they hadn't cast him as Graves. I always thought he'd be too poncey after watching him in DAD but then I saw him in other things and realised that was just how he was playing that character. He was great as a tough and grizzled character in Black Sails and has already played Bond really well in the Fleming radio adaptations. Could have been a good alternative to Craig if he'd turned it down imo.

    I never saw Toby Stephens as Bond. After seeing him in And Then There Were None, however, I think he'd make a great Bond villain... If cast now and in a better written role. He was far too youthful and petulant to be menacing in DAD. Now he could look like the novel Drax.

    But the sword fight was fun.
  • Posts: 15,114
    talos7 wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Toby Stephens is a good one for "could have been" too I think, if they hadn't cast him as Graves. I always thought he'd be too poncey after watching him in DAD but then I saw him in other things and realised that was just how he was playing that character. He was great as a tough and grizzled character in Black Sails and has already played Bond really well in the Fleming radio adaptations. Could have been a good alternative to Craig if he'd turned it down imo.

    I never saw Toby Stephens as Bond. After seeing him in And Then There Were None, however, I think he'd make a great Bond villain... If cast now and in a better written role. He was far too youthful and petulant to be menacing in DAD. Now he could look like the novel Drax.

    But the sword fight was fun.

    I hated the sword fight. Cartoonish demolition Derby.

    In any case, Graves lacked menace that I think Toby Stephens could easily give now, especially against a younger actor as Bond. Heck, he looked far more sinister and menacing as Dr. Armstrong, who is just meant to be a suspect, than as Graves.
  • Posts: 6,709
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I find it extremely difficult to find actors in their 20s, 30s nowadays that don't look like badly trimmed poodles.

    That’s true. And not only actors. Men in general.
  • Posts: 15,114
    Univex wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I find it extremely difficult to find actors in their 20s, 30s nowadays that don't look like badly trimmed poodles.

    That’s true. And not only actors. Men in general.

    Keeping their beard on, but shaving the hairs on their body.
  • Posts: 6,709
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Univex wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I find it extremely difficult to find actors in their 20s, 30s nowadays that don't look like badly trimmed poodles.
    That’s true. And not only actors. Men in general.
    Keeping their beard on, but shaving the hairs on their body.
    Twats, right? (are we allowed to some slang here? If not, so sorry) Men have a strange idea of masculinity these days. In my days if one shaved his chest and wasn’t Johnny Weissmuller, one surely must’ve worked in Vegas. And if we didn’t shave our faces, we’d surely be unemployed. But hey, times they are a’ changing, my friend. A man bun is now a thing.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited January 2020 Posts: 8,395

    Give him a shave and Turner ia the perfect guy for Bond. He has more support than anyone at this point.
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    Univex wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Univex wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I find it extremely difficult to find actors in their 20s, 30s nowadays that don't look like badly trimmed poodles.
    That’s true. And not only actors. Men in general.
    Keeping their beard on, but shaving the hairs on their body.
    Twats, right? (are we allowed to some slang here? If not, so sorry) Men have a strange idea of masculinity these days. In my days if one shaved his chest and wasn’t Johnny Weissmuller, one surely must’ve worked in Vegas. And if we didn’t shave our faces, we’d surely be unemployed. But hey, times they are a’ changing, my friend. A man bun is now a thing.

    Man buns are thankfully already passé. Dudes who look like their girlfriends was never a sound idea.
    Give him a shave and Turner ia the perfect guy for Bond. He has more support than anyone at this point.

    All hail.
  • Posts: 17,753
    Ludovico wrote: »
    West would be great as a villain. Back in 2000/2005 he would have made a younger looking Bond, yet suitably manly.

    Exactly. It's the "manly" bit I miss with some of the names mentioned these days.
  • edited January 2020 Posts: 1,661
    thelivingroyale wrote:

    My issue is I don't think he is a movie star type, and I think his lack of success in that area (despite pretty much exclusively doing blockbusters and saying he's in acting for the money) proves that. He doesn't have the acting ability of Dalton and Craig or the charisma and presence of Brosnan and Moore imo. He has nothing except the look.

    Bond should be able to carry a bad film imo. Like Moore in MR or Brosnan in DAD. That's real movie star ability. Making the audience go along for the ride no matter what.

    I'm not convinced Cavill has what it takes to do that nor the acting ability to pull off a Craig type film. I think he'd be just about passable in a solid, bog standard formula Bond film. Try to do anything more interesting than that and he'd be out of his depth. Give him a bad script and the whole thing would fall apart. All I can picture him managing is doing an okay job in a middling Bond film. Can't see him elevating a bad one or pulling off a really good one. I reckon we can do a lot better than that, especially now Craig had raised the bar in terms of acting ability.

    My attitude is always "wait and see how they'll do before judging" but if they cast Cavill I'd find it genuinely hard to do that. I really hate the idea of him as Bond. The only way I can see it happening is if Disney or someone took over. While EON are still running things I don't think he'll be in the running.
    Ludovico wrote:

    This is pretty much how I feel about Cavill. Besides, being I'm The Witcher, which is quite successful in spite of mixed reviews, I think he won't be Bond now. Not that I could see Barbara casting him.

    IMHO Henry Cavill is one of the worst actors I've ever seen. Hand on heart, I genuinely mean that. He is a first gear actor with zero oomph. His acting in The Witcher is flat and dreary - when he goes inside that tower with the naked women and that older guy waffles on about the plot (ep 1) - just like his dreary, flat acting in Man From Uncle. Apart from a handsome face and good jawline I fear he has almost zero acting ability. I guess the ability to remember lots of lines in a short time is a memory 'talent' - fair enough - but that doesn't make you a decent actor. I've never been a fan of Craig as Bond but I am happy to concede he is a good actor, has sufficient range. I see none with Cavill.

    Just to be fair, Cavill does seem a nice chap. Always polite and reserved in interviews. Can't fault his personality but this is James Bond we're talking about. Connery and Moore (and others) cast a mighty shadow. It's a bit intimidating, Bond is such an iconic role and the other actors were very impressive. As brutal as it sounds, you have to step up and deliver or you get found out. I fear Cavill has been found out on numerous occasions. He hasn't sufficient acting ability to convince as James Bond. Perhaps if he had some acting lessons it might help but given his career, why would he?

    I think Aidan Turner or some other choices would be better in terms of acting ability. If you prefer a very handsome guy as Bond, I'd rather go the George Lazenby route and hope you get lucky. Find some classic Bond look guy and hope/pray he can act. LOL

    Cavill is a handsome guy but you can't rely on looks alone. You got to back it up with some acting range and presence. Bond confidence type presence and charm or Dalton type intensity or Craig type bluntness. What would Cavill bring to Bond? Based on what I've seen, not much but a flat delivery and little oomph. I know this sounds harsh but I don't mean it that way... I watched a bit of The Witcher and I found Cavill's acting horrendous. Like he was doing a Dirty Harry type voice but without Eastwood's swagger.

    I'd rather have a quality American actor (with decent Brit voice) play Bond over Cavill! And I don't want an American to ever play Bond but that's how much I dislike Cavill's acting. But he does seem a nice guy and fair credit to him for having a decent career. But Bond, no thanks. Turner or some new chap please. :)
  • DrClatterhandDrClatterhand United Kingdom
    Posts: 349
    I'd go with Dan Stevens, Aidan Turner or Jack Lowden out of who is around on the scene at the moment. I suspect it'll be a leftfield choice we haven't thought of. I agree on the Cavill front. He makes Hugh Grant look like Al Pacino. Charisma vacuum, with zero acting ability.
  • Posts: 15,114
    Also, unlike Brosnan, I don't think Cavill sells himself very well. What Brosnan lacked in acting skills, he compensated in charisma, swagger, what have you. I always have the feeling Cavill lets the role sell him.
  • Posts: 37
    Univex wrote: »
    Richard Madden - 33 (1,77m)
    Henry Cavill - 36 (1,85m)
    Aidan Turner - 36 (1,83m)
    Tom Mison - 37 (1,85m)
    Dan Stevens - 37 (1,83m)
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 29 (1,80m)
    Tom Barnes - 38 (1,85m)
    Harry Lloyd - 36 (1,80m)
    Matthew McNulty - 37 (1,78m)
    Tom Hughes - 34 (1,85m)
    Tom Hiddleston - 38 (1,88m)
    Jack Huston - 37 (1,82m)
    Theo James - 34 (1,83m)

    Just thought I'd organise this. if someone remembers anyone else, please inflate the list.

    BTW, looking at that list, I think they'll all be too old. Maybe we should be looking for people in their late 20s.

    Also Callum Turner. 29 years old and 1.87m tall.
  • Can't we have Robert Pattinson? He has that drop-dead gorgeous Pierce Brosnan vibe, but there is something a little more edgy and contemporary about him.

    I suppose the answer is that Batman rules him out. But the same can be said of Henry Cavill.

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  • Posts: 15,114
    I think Batman indeed rules him out. He might be a tad old to replace Craig as well, when the role is available.

    For Cavill, it's how little impact he could make on major roles such as Superman that rules him out. I like The Witcher for what it is, a dramatised D&Dr game, but it's in spite of him.
  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    I don't want Pattinson anywhere near bond. Have seen him in a lot of films and didn't saw anything interesting about him. I am even more scared about batman as well, don't know if he will be worse than Affleck.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    I don't want Pattinson anywhere near bond. Have seen him in a lot of films and didn't saw anything interesting about him. I am even more scared about batman as well, don't know if he will be worse than Affleck.

    +1
  • DeerAtTheGatesDeerAtTheGates Belgium
    edited January 2020 Posts: 524
    Can't we have Robert Pattinson? He has that drop-dead gorgeous Pierce Brosnan vibe, but there is something a little more edgy and contemporary about him.

    I suppose the answer is that Batman rules him out. But the same can be said of Henry Cavill.

    I'm not sure if the same can be said about Cavill. Pattinson has just started filming The Batman, and depending on the audience reception and how well the film does, he might be Batman for 5 more years. I'm not familiar with his contract, but I assume that there's at least a 'multiple films' clause, if he's not signed on for 1 or 2 more already anyway.

    Cavill, that's more like Brosnan post-DAD. He wants to continue as Superman, but no movie with Superman has been green-lit before 2022 and WB has said they have 'no immediate plans' for a Superman film. They haven't formally dropped him either.
    If WB renews Cavill's contract, then he won't be Bond. But if he's let go between this year and 2021 or 2022, he might audition for Bond again. If Cavill himself feels he can't get a Superman film anymore, he might change his mind himself, announces his retirement as Superman, and might audition for Bond.

    TL:DR: Pattinson won't audition for Bond in the near future, Cavill might.

    Note: If Cavill auditions, the producers might turn him down again, because he's now too famous in one particular role. But Cavill needs another franchise when he's done with Superman, so you can bet he'll try if he gets the chance.
  • edited January 2020 Posts: 1,661
    Examples of Cavill's poor acting



    At 15 seconds

    "I thought ( pause).... your transformation.... (pause) healedallpartsofyou."

    He can't even space out the lines properly. He has weird gaps and speeds up and say words all together like "heal all parts of you." His delivery is 90 percent flat.

    Check out his atrocious acting here. The first few lines are so amateurish as if he's never acted before in his life:



    Flat, wooden, not natural. Show some actual emotion! I give up on the guy. He's terrible. Sure, he's handsome but you gotta act, dude. Act! Show some oomph. Anything to stand out. We're talking about the longest running action franchise here! We need someone that can actually go "wow, this guy is Bond!"

    Some people thought Lazenby was a bit wooden or whatever but Lazenby is like Daniel Day Lewis compared to Cavill's line delivery! LOL

    I'd be embarrassed to act that badly. I feel sorry for Netflix and DC and even Eon for being so deluded into thinking this guy can act. IMHO he can't act. PERIOD.

    I've always believed the way to play Bond is not to read Fleming's work or even watch the films (that helps, of course), it's the music. That is the soul of Bond. Da da daaa.. da da daaaaa... that intro. It's saying "I'm James Bond, licenced to kill and if you don't like it, screw you." That is James Bond. That is the essence of the character. Swagger and confidence. Cavill ain't got it. Okay, perhaps he's hiding it so well and when he plays Bond we can go "wow, we were wrong, he has got that swagger and oomph" but I can't see it at the moment. We can only go on his acting right now.

    You could say the same for all potential candidates. Unless there is some evidence of swagger and confidence in some of their acting roles, they're not right for Bond. I think we need to some some evidence even if it's just one role out of many. Actors play all sorts of role so you can't expect a Bond vibe but even so there has to be some vague feeling of Bond vibe in something to get people excited. For example, when I watched Matt Smith as Doctor Who I saw swagger and confidence. Not like Bond of course, but Smith embraced the role of the Doctor. It's that extra 'something' in the acting. I guess it's just confidence. Acting with confidence is not as easy as it sounds, perhaps. I dunno.
  • fanbond123 wrote: »
    Examples of Cavill's poor acting



    At 15 seconds

    "I thought ( pause).... your transformation.... (pause) healedallpartsofyou."

    He can't even space out the lines properly. He has weird gaps and speeds up and say words all together like "heal all parts of you." His delivery is 90 percent flat.

    Check out his atrocious acting here. The first few lines are so amateurish as if he's never acted before in his life:



    Flat, wooden, not natural. Show some actual emotion! I give up on the guy. He's terrible. Sure, he's handsome but you gotta act, dude. Act! Show some oomph. Anything to stand out. We're talking about the longest running action franchise here! We need someone that can actually go "wow, this guy is Bond!"

    Some people thought Lazenby was a bit wooden or whatever but Lazenby is like Daniel Day Lewis compared to Cavill's line delivery! LOL

    I'd be embarrassed to act that badly. I feel sorry for Netflix and DC and even Eon for being so deluded into thinking this guy can act. IMHO he can't act. PERIOD.

    I've always believed the way to play Bond is not to read Fleming's work or even watch the films (that helps, of course), it's the music. That is the soul of Bond. Da da daaa.. da da daaaaa... that intro. It's saying "I'm James Bond, licenced to kill and if you don't like it, screw you." That is James Bond. That is the essence of the character. Swagger and confidence. Cavill ain't got it. Okay, perhaps he's hiding it so well and when he plays Bond we can go "wow, we were wrong, he has got that swagger and oomph" but I can't see it at the moment. We can only go on his acting right now.

    You could say the same for all potential candidates. Unless there is some evidence of swagger and confidence in some of their acting roles, they're not right for Bond. I think we need to some some evidence even if it's just one role out of many. Actors play all sorts of role so you can't expect a Bond vibe but even so there has to be some vague feeling of Bond vibe in something to get people excited. For example, when I watched Matt Smith as Doctor Who I saw swagger and confidence. Not like Bond of course, but Smith embraced the role of the Doctor. It's that extra 'something' in the acting. I guess it's just confidence. Acting with confidence is not as easy as it sounds, perhaps. I dunno.

    Agree with every word of this and I think it's genuinely terrifying that he came so close before. I know he has the look but come on, imagine if we'd had him in CR instead of Daniel Craig. Doesn't bare thinking about. Thank god some of them saw sense.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    edited January 2020 Posts: 4,043
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    Examples of Cavill's poor acting



    At 15 seconds

    "I thought ( pause).... your transformation.... (pause) healedallpartsofyou."

    He can't even space out the lines properly. He has weird gaps and speeds up and say words all together like "heal all parts of you." His delivery is 90 percent flat.

    Check out his atrocious acting here. The first few lines are so amateurish as if he's never acted before in his life:



    Flat, wooden, not natural. Show some actual emotion! I give up on the guy. He's terrible. Sure, he's handsome but you gotta act, dude. Act! Show some oomph. Anything to stand out. We're talking about the longest running action franchise here! We need someone that can actually go "wow, this guy is Bond!"

    Some people thought Lazenby was a bit wooden or whatever but Lazenby is like Daniel Day Lewis compared to Cavill's line delivery! LOL

    I'd be embarrassed to act that badly. I feel sorry for Netflix and DC and even Eon for being so deluded into thinking this guy can act. IMHO he can't act. PERIOD.

    I've always believed the way to play Bond is not to read Fleming's work or even watch the films (that helps, of course), it's the music. That is the soul of Bond. Da da daaa.. da da daaaaa... that intro. It's saying "I'm James Bond, licenced to kill and if you don't like it, screw you." That is James Bond. That is the essence of the character. Swagger and confidence. Cavill ain't got it. Okay, perhaps he's hiding it so well and when he plays Bond we can go "wow, we were wrong, he has got that swagger and oomph" but I can't see it at the moment. We can only go on his acting right now.

    You could say the same for all potential candidates. Unless there is some evidence of swagger and confidence in some of their acting roles, they're not right for Bond. I think we need to some some evidence even if it's just one role out of many. Actors play all sorts of role so you can't expect a Bond vibe but even so there has to be some vague feeling of Bond vibe in something to get people excited. For example, when I watched Matt Smith as Doctor Who I saw swagger and confidence. Not like Bond of course, but Smith embraced the role of the Doctor. It's that extra 'something' in the acting. I guess it's just confidence. Acting with confidence is not as easy as it sounds, perhaps. I dunno.

    Agree with every word of this and I think it's genuinely terrifying that he came so close before. I know he has the look but come on, imagine if we'd had him in CR instead of Daniel Craig. Doesn't bare thinking about. Thank god some of them saw sense.

    I know some adore Campbell and he has done a top job of directing 2 entries but I have to wonder about his judgement as he wanted Cavill over Craig.

    Thankfully BB & MGW overruled him.

    CR needed a DC level actor for it to work, not a charisma free plank of wood.
  • Posts: 6,709
    Shardlake wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    Examples of Cavill's poor acting



    At 15 seconds

    "I thought ( pause).... your transformation.... (pause) healedallpartsofyou."

    He can't even space out the lines properly. He has weird gaps and speeds up and say words all together like "heal all parts of you." His delivery is 90 percent flat.

    Check out his atrocious acting here. The first few lines are so amateurish as if he's never acted before in his life:



    Flat, wooden, not natural. Show some actual emotion! I give up on the guy. He's terrible. Sure, he's handsome but you gotta act, dude. Act! Show some oomph. Anything to stand out. We're talking about the longest running action franchise here! We need someone that can actually go "wow, this guy is Bond!"

    Some people thought Lazenby was a bit wooden or whatever but Lazenby is like Daniel Day Lewis compared to Cavill's line delivery! LOL

    I'd be embarrassed to act that badly. I feel sorry for Netflix and DC and even Eon for being so deluded into thinking this guy can act. IMHO he can't act. PERIOD.

    I've always believed the way to play Bond is not to read Fleming's work or even watch the films (that helps, of course), it's the music. That is the soul of Bond. Da da daaa.. da da daaaaa... that intro. It's saying "I'm James Bond, licenced to kill and if you don't like it, screw you." That is James Bond. That is the essence of the character. Swagger and confidence. Cavill ain't got it. Okay, perhaps he's hiding it so well and when he plays Bond we can go "wow, we were wrong, he has got that swagger and oomph" but I can't see it at the moment. We can only go on his acting right now.

    You could say the same for all potential candidates. Unless there is some evidence of swagger and confidence in some of their acting roles, they're not right for Bond. I think we need to some some evidence even if it's just one role out of many. Actors play all sorts of role so you can't expect a Bond vibe but even so there has to be some vague feeling of Bond vibe in something to get people excited. For example, when I watched Matt Smith as Doctor Who I saw swagger and confidence. Not like Bond of course, but Smith embraced the role of the Doctor. It's that extra 'something' in the acting. I guess it's just confidence. Acting with confidence is not as easy as it sounds, perhaps. I dunno.

    Agree with every word of this and I think it's genuinely terrifying that he came so close before. I know he has the look but come on, imagine if we'd had him in CR instead of Daniel Craig. Doesn't bare thinking about. Thank god some of them saw sense.

    I know some adore Campbell and he has done a top job of directing 2 entries but I have to wonder about his judgement as he wanted Cavill over Craig.

    Thankfully BB & MGW overruled him.

    CR needed a DC level actor for it to work, not a charisma free plank of wood.

    That's true. Very much so.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    If not Cavill (who I would be okay with, as the next Bond), then they should have gone with an actor of similar age. That or re-write CR. Craig was too old to be playing Bond as wet behind the ears naive. "When James became Bond", would have made more sense with a younger Bond, gradually maturing over the course of his era.
  • Posts: 6,709
    I'm so sick of those "origin" films. Can't we just have a mature Bond doing what he does best? No younger Bond, please, this time. Let's have a 40ish actor that looks like Bond and has acting chops? Is that a lot to ask for? :)
  • DrClatterhandDrClatterhand United Kingdom
    Posts: 349
    Univex wrote: »
    I'm so sick of those "origin" films. Can't we just have a mature Bond doing what he does best? No younger Bond, please, this time. Let's have a 40ish actor that looks like Bond and has acting chops? Is that a lot to ask for? :)

    40ish is too old for Eon's pace of filmmaking nowadays. The next Bond is likely late 20s to early 30s right now.
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