Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    Lyd489 wrote: »
    The search is over - Aidan Turner!

    I agree!
  • yep Turner is the best candidate. Dominic west is way too old lol
  • Posts: 15,125
    Dominic West could have been a good Bond ten years ago. Not now.
  • edited September 2016 Posts: 1,661
    Dominic West on playing the part:
    West auditioned for the role before Daniel Craig was cast as 007 a decade ago. With speculation rife that Craig will do one more film at most, the rumour mill is whirling again.

    "I'd love to be James Bond," West said. "But at the moment I'm a 40-1 outsider."

    He worries that, at 46, he's too old to be cast.

    "My friend texted me the other day and said, 'You've got to go for Bond, you'll be the oldest ever!' I said, 'What about Roger Moore?' He said, the oldest starting -- Roger Moore started younger."



  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited September 2016 Posts: 15,423
    The "too old for the role" argument is as cringeworthy as it gets. The 50 year old of today is the 35 year old of the yesteryear. Surely some people can see that, can't they? Nowadays, the 30 year olds look like schoolboys who could easily, and might I add, very easily can pass for a 15 year old. And too feminine. I don't know why anyone would want a schoolboy-looking Bond.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The "too old for the role" argument is as cringeworthy as it gets. The 50 year old of today is the 35 year old of the yesteryear. Surely some people can see that, can't they? Nowadays, the 30 year olds look like schoolboys who could easily, and might I add, very easily can pass for a 15 year old. And too feminine. I don't know why anyone would want a schoolboy-looking Bond.

    Agreed, very true.
  • The "too old for the role" argument is as cringeworthy as it gets. The 50 year old of today is the 35 year old of the yesteryear. Surely some people can see that, can't they? Nowadays, the 30 year olds look like schoolboys who could easily, and might I add, very easily can pass for a 15 year old. And too feminine. I don't know why anyone would want a schoolboy-looking Bond.

    Can't agree with that. Time catches up with everyone. Roger Moore was youthful looking at the start but soon his looks caught up with his age.

    It's not realistic to have a 50 year old as a double 00. Why would they have some one who's physically over the hill?
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Roger Moore was 40 years ago, and people nowadays are brought up on different and healthier standards. It's more realistic than it sounds to have a 60 year old 00, let alone 50.
  • edited September 2016 Posts: 382
    Who wants an old codger Bond? Imagine the scenes with the bond girls lol. It will be 1985 all over again.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I was speaking metaphorically.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    I guess the physical demands of the role would take it's toll on an older actor though.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited September 2016 Posts: 15,718
    Ben Wishaw was the same age in SF as Connery was in DN, right? He looked like a teenager compared to Connery. Tom Cruise is 54 now and looks younger than Connery in YOLT.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Ben Wishaw was the same age in SF as Connery was in DN, right? He looked like a teenager compared to Connery. Tom Cruise is 54 now and looks younger than Connery in YOLT.
    Exactly my point.
  • Posts: 6,601
    But take into account, that Tom had stuff done, which Conner had not. So, we don't know, how good ole Tom would look without going under the knife. Different for sure, as would the Pitts and Clooneys and then some...
  • Posts: 15,125
    It is not realistic to have an operative in his 50s or 60s. Let alone a seducer of women in the usual age range of Bond girls. Some actors in their 30s look youthful, some do not. Let's have Bond be played by an actor who can stay in the role for a while and be believable in such line of work.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    NicNac wrote: »
    I guess the physical demands of the role would take it's toll on an older actor though.

    This one always makes me both laugh and frustrated. We live in a completely different time when it comes to physical fitness and vitality. An actor who takes care of himself could play the role until 60.
    Now how that actor looks from the neck up is a different story; we all age differently.
    Daniel obviously knows how to stay in shape, but, has always looked older than his years. If people are willing to see a more mature Bond I don't see any problem with him playing the role well into his 50's.

  • Posts: 15,125
    Daniel has had issues with the physical needs of the role in SP and he is one of the fittest actors to ever play Bond. There is no way avoiding issues coming with age. Beside Bond was never conceived as an ageing man.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I don't have a problem with an older actor, as long as he is suave and moves well for his age. As others have mentioned, Cruise is in top form for a man his age.

    I watched NSNA last night and Connery looked great in it even at 53 (at the time) - in fact, I wondered while watching it what it would have been like if he had continued to make Bond films into the 90's (he looked better with the newer toupee designs they came up with from The Rock onwards and no one can question the man's screen authority and charisma).

    Some people have youthful looks and can keep them for longer on account of a healthy lifestyle, fitness regimen and genetics.

    I don't necessarily need to see Bond running around and jumping over rooftops. Connery hardly did that and I still prefer his and Moore's films to many of the newer outings. That's just my view.

    Of course the new 'gaming' crowd and 'foreign' viewers brought up on FF and the like may take exception to this.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Daniel has had issues with the physical needs of the role in SP and he is one of the fittest actors to ever play Bond. There is no way avoiding issues coming with age. Beside Bond was never conceived as an ageing man.

    there are actors of every age that have had injuries during filming. His age was not the cause of his injury.

  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    talos7 wrote: »
    NicNac wrote: »
    I guess the physical demands of the role would take it's toll on an older actor though.

    This one always makes me both laugh and frustrated. We live in a completely different time when it comes to physical fitness and vitality. An actor who takes care of himself could play the role until 60.
    Now how that actor looks from the neck up is a different story; we all age differently.
    Daniel obviously knows how to stay in shape, but, has always looked older than his years. If people are willing to see a more mature Bond I don't see any problem with him playing the role well into his 50's.

    Why does it frustrate you? We do live in a different time agreed, and people are fitter in general agreed, but in the 60s Connery had to run across a rooftop, or wrestle with Pussy Galore in a barn. Craig has to do so much more demanding physical work, and the shoot lasts months longer than they did, and no doubt there are more night shoots, and longer hours in general. So, we are 50 years on, but the demands of the part on an actor approaching his 50s is considerably more than it was. Look at what Craig did in CR - in just the pre title scenes. He wouldn't be able to do that now I would wager.

  • Posts: 15,125
    Wasn't it? In any case Bond was not conceived as an elderly operative or seducer.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    Elderly, Lol
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited September 2016 Posts: 23,883
    The trick is to find an actor who is mature enough and who can convey that maturity on screen, while still being fit enough for the physical demands of the role for at least 10 years. That's not an easy task, but I'm sure they can do some physical tests to determine if an actor will be able to handle it.

    Craig is a perfect example actually. He started as 'rookie' Bond at 38. Hardly a spring chicken. His tenure has been hampered by these studio delays, but if that hadn't happened, he would surely have had 5 under his belt by now, 10 yrs later.

    Connery was 32 in DN but had a maturity that suggested he was in his early 40's. Moore was 45 when he started and acted as such (with that level of maturity), even though he looked closer to 35.

    So the key is to get an actor who has the screen maturity, but who can also age nicely into the role for 10 yrs while still being able to keep up with the physical demands. At the moment, Fassbender seems to be right in the sweet spot imho.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Wasn't it? In any case Bond was not conceived as an elderly operative or seducer.

    We always think of Sean in DAF and Roger in OP and AVTAK as featuring a Bond who is either out of shape or clearly a little long in the tooth. There were even rumblings about Dan in SP.
    But, the casting of these actors in every case was down to box office clout. Eon knew where they were and what they would get with these Bond vets, so they were more keen to be sure of a BO hit than to try and blood a new actor.
    Historically we criticise some of these decisions, but each Bond film is of it's time and film making is a serious money making business.
  • Posts: 15,125
    talos7 wrote: »
    Elderly, Lol

    Well 60s that is elderly.

  • Posts: 4,617
    I know it will never happen, but I think there is room in the market for 2 Bonds. A young, thirty something, whirlwind who is all action and stunts....plus a mature Bond in his 50s who has seen and done it all and these would be more spy thrillers with more focus on plot and suspense rather than action. The struggle with the franchise has always been to get the balance between the two.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    Ludovico wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    Elderly, Lol

    Well 60s that is elderly.

    As I am 53, I find this, yes, antiquated, thinking. I don't want to see a truly elderly Bond but we live in different times.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited September 2016 Posts: 23,883
    I don't see 60's as elderly. Mature and seasoned yes, but not elderly. Arguably that starts at about 75 these days.

    Having said that, I'm not advocating for a 60 yr old Bond actor.

    PS: Jason Statham is 49 yrs old, and like Cruise, he certainly looks like he has at least 10 more years of hard charging action in him, so age is less of a factor than general fitness, health and genetics - again imho.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited September 2016 Posts: 15,718
    If the only 2 choices were either an early 30-'s youthful looking actor who should belong in university (like in random boring rom com films), or a world weary 60-something actor a la Liam Neeson, I will take option #2 any day of the week and twice on sunday.

    Of course I would prefer a late 30's/early 40's actor like Craig, Brosnan or Dalton, but I don't want a youthful looking Bond. A world weary, mature, hardened actor is what I expect from James Bond.
  • Posts: 15,125
    talos7 wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    Elderly, Lol

    Well 60s that is elderly.

    As I am 53, I find this, yes, antiquated, thinking. I don't want to see a truly elderly Bond but we live in different times.

    Would "not quite as youthful" be PC enough then? Look I meant no offence. But in your 50s you are middle aged. And when one turns 60 you can start calling such age elderly. Younger side of elderly but still.
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