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I'm not massive fan of Scott.
And agreed about Ejiofor as C. He would have been much better.
That said, was there ever meant to be much ambiguity about C? I always got the sense that much of the drama relied on the audience getting the sense that something was 'off' about him from the get go. Would Ejiofor have been able to convey that same sense? I mean, personally I find Scott's involvement the least of SP's problems as a film...
But I still think Ejiofor would have been better in the part.
Wasn't he also considered for Blofeld? Would have been interesting seeing him against Craig's Bond.
Neither am I for that matter. That said I always thought Ejiofor was too "soft" (for lack of a better word) looking for a Bond villain. I like them to be either brutish or creepy, and that doesn't quite come off with Ejiofor. I still think he would have been better than Scott.
I dunno, I personally believe Ejiofor would have portrayed his character with more psychopathic poise than the the last three. But C wasn’t written very well so I could be mistaken.
I want an actor with a bit of range, who won’t just play a stuck up version of him/herself. Has there ever been a better villain than Willem Defoe as green goblin?
The character should be menacing like Ralph Fiennes in In Bruges or relatable like Phoenix’s Joker.
Sometimes being emotionally conservative is more creepy than being very emotive, e.g. Lalo or Fring in BB/BCS
How about Patel as 006. Should suffice.
@Since62
Teeth are my pet peeve. He has little boys teeth and I cannot stand it. Bond Jr, perhaps.
More interesting than what could rule someone out is what criteria makes someone preferable, besides being Aidan Turner of course.
Hoult looks like Chucky from Child's Play, it's certainly not only his teeth. In other words too boyish, he looks 25 tops.
True, and I don't think we'll ever have a firm grasp on that in this thread. Personally, I'd prioritise character actors who have, in one form or another, a sort of 'X factor' about them onscreen that could translate into a portrayal of Bond. That's pretty vague/general though, and subject to interpretation...
Tom Bateman is growing on me.
Ben Starr is a complete unknown but he is my favorite dark horse candidate
Can you have an X factor in different aspects or is it a holistic quality? Some look more appropriate than others, some act better than others, some are more masculine etc.
Is X factor someone who fits all the checks on the list or is uniquely attractive/charismatic?
Teeth and hairlines are easily fixable nowadays. So I wouldn’t rule people out on these points.
I think you know what it is when you see it... if you do even see it, that is. I don't think there's a standard criteria you can go with. I'm sure there are many great actors out there who do have that certain 'something', a unique charisma and presence, but perhaps their interpretation of Bond simply won't be right for the film's tone, or perhaps what the producers are looking for at that time etc. Perhaps one actor's portrayal is more brooding, low key, another more tongue in cheek and ironic, another a mixture of both... That's why it's so hard in this case - we don't even know what Bond 26 is going to be like yet, let alone know who the actor could be.
Yes, I agree about teeth and hairlines. I think sometimes these aspects of an actor's appearance can be a red herring.
*quickly Googles Aidan Turner's biography*
Well, I'll be damned....
I can see many actors do the role justice, and I can see many different directions work. How do you choose? Do you do audience research? Do you pick a notable director and fit the actor to their vision.
I have my own preferences, so I suspect the producers have theirs. I don’t buy that the tone of the film goes before the actor, as it depends too much on the latter.
I wouldn’t rule out aged actors as they seem to possess more of that X factor.
Look forward to seeing Turner in The Suspect.
So far most of his work has been period pieces.
As is the case with these things it's subject to discussion, experimentation and changes. I do think the tone/general direction of the film has an impact on the types of actors they audition, but then again when Craig came along they made adjustments to the CR script (although I suspect the whole 'rookie Bond' who'd never worn a tuxedo angle was being diluted before this).
Older actors are an example. There could be a great actor out there who is a bit older, but what if they wanted a younger Bond for whatever reason? Would they adjust the script to accommodate the actor if they liked them enough, or would they feel their vision is the best direction to go him, and thus decide to pass? I don't know and I suspect it depends.
Anyway, like I said, I don't think we'll ever get a full grasp on what we'd all definitively like to see from an actor. I suspect the producers don't necessarily either until they go through they actor's filmography and decide who the want to audition.