Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • edited September 2022 Posts: 4,137
    mtm wrote: »
    I don't think it would have put him out of the running, he was very much a supporting character in that. Pierce did way more ersatz Bond stuff than he ever did!
    I think there's a chance that he wouldn't have been up for it- his career has always seemed like he goes for the more interesting stuff.

    I was actually going to add, Brosnan's tenure wouldn't have helped in that regard! I think there was a sense that they wanted a different type of Bond anyway. Issacs is a great actor, but even if he was considered in an alternate universe he likely wouldn't have played Bond like he did his character in The Tuxedo. I haven't personally seen any other role by him that strikes me as Bondian, and if anything I see more potential in him as a villain. I certainly can't see him playing the type of Bond Craig did in CR.

    I mean, in theory playing Bond isn't a case of only a handful of actors (or in any era, one specific actor) being 'the chosen one' but more a situation where the right actor has to fit the right Bond, and beyond that fit the right time frame for that Bond to succeed best in. So perhaps it's just a case where he wasn't the right man.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 784
    Isaacs would have indeed been the most flemingesque Bond. There is this cold inherent cruelty in his eyes. He seems like a perfect fit post-Craig since the cinematic character had a distinct visual and tonal identity before him.

    I never saw Dominic West as a better fit than Elba who was the true star of The Wire.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    I think the actor who next plays Bond must come across convincingly as a battle-Hardy-ned warrior. He must be believable at action, whether shooting, kicking, punching or Elba-ing people. He must be able to quickly Turner from warm to cold-hearted when threatened, revealing a Cillian instinct. He must display plenty of Styles and taste for the finer things in life. He must be able to Hoult the bad guy's plans time and time again. When he finds himself at an all-time Lowden, he must bounce back and kick ass again. And when he is unable to complete the mission for himself, he must call in the Cavill-ry, so that we can have a YOLT-style battle again. He must be Sasse, and display a flair for comedy without being too Hamm-y. He must be prepared to go to France and Italy, South Africa and Holland. And of course, he must be in it for the Wyn.

    Just keep adding to it as you see fit.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 942
    I saw Snake Eyes the other night. Henry Golding is handsome, athletic, and I think has a certain amount of star quality, but I think he'll need a better vehicle than this to catch Eon's eye. I'd like to see him in something with some action, but a better script.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 2022 Posts: 16,373
    I like Golding in some ways but I'm not sure if I get mega star vibes from him just yet. But he can certainly do smooth and suave.

    Oh man, isn't it nice just to be able to have a friendly chat in this thread now? :)
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,173
    I have just given myself another viewing of THE MAN FROM UNCLE. Cavill really looks awesome in that '60s setting. I cannot entirely dismiss him from the Bond contest...
    mtm wrote: »
    I like Golding in some ways but I'm not sure if I get mega star vibes from him just yet. But he can certainly do smooth and suave.

    Oh man, isn't it nice just to be able to have a friendly chat in this thread now? :)

    All is fine as long as no mods are involved.
  • Posts: 4,137
    I saw Snake Eyes the other night. Henry Golding is handsome, athletic, and I think has a certain amount of star quality, but I think he'll need a better vehicle than this to catch Eon's eye. I'd like to see him in something with some action, but a better script.

    My main memory of Golding is in Last Christmas - one of the silliest Romantic Comedies I think I've ever seen. I'm not even quite sure why it was even made. He's charming in it, actually much better cast than Emilia Clarke is in her role. I'm not sure if I get Bond from him though.

    That said I'm surprised he's been mentioned as much as he has been in the press for the role (not too much, but more than others).
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    I never saw the end of that film - as soon as I sussed that it was a twist on those Wham lyrics, I switched it off! Not even kidding. I can't be watching tripe like that, man! Based on what I did see, I'd say that Golding's too lightweight for Bond. But that brings us back to the 'is it the role or is it the actor?' conundrum. Looking at that film, I can't picture Golding as Bond - but, as someone else said, if you looked just at Tomb Raider, how many of us would've seen Craig as Bond? No easy way around this one.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 4,137
    Venutius wrote: »
    I never saw the end of that film - as soon as I sussed that it was a twist on those Wham lyrics, I switched it off! Not even kidding. I can't be watching tripe like that, man! Based on what I did see, I'd say that Golding's too lightweight for Bond. But that brings us back to the 'is it the role or is it the actor?' conundrum. Looking at that film, I can't picture Golding as Bond - but, as someone else said, if you looked just at Tomb Raider, how many of us would've seen Craig as Bond? No easy way around this one.

    In fairness, I get that if you were a producer and were looking for a new Bond/watched Tomb Raider at the time with this in mind, Craig would certainly have struck them as Bond material. Something like the scene where he steps out of the shower/meets Croft in the hotel room give me a very 'Bondian' sense, and I can see shades of Craig's later performances as Bond in the way he moves, his delivery etc.

    But yes, it's not easy, and often it's a case of honing in on those little things - the walk, certain moments, certain line deliveries etc. rather than the more overt things about an actor and the parts they play.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,373
    Venutius wrote: »
    I never saw the end of that film - as soon as I sussed that it was a twist on those Wham lyrics, I switched it off! Not even kidding. I can't be watching tripe like that, man! Based on what I did see, I'd say that Golding's too lightweight for Bond. But that brings us back to the 'is it the role or is it the actor?' conundrum. Looking at that film, I can't picture Golding as Bond - but, as someone else said, if you looked just at Tomb Raider, how many of us would've seen Craig as Bond? No easy way around this one.

    I think 'lightweight' is a good way to describe him, I get that vibe too. He's very decent, but yes, perhaps not a heavyweight presence.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited September 2022 Posts: 3,152
    Yeh, tbh. Whereas with someone like, say, Jason Isaacs I don't think anyone would've described him as lightweight no matter what the role. 'Presence' is a good way of putting it, actually. Like charisma, it might be one of those largely indefinable traits that you know when you see it, but it does seem to be an important element that whoever gets the Bond role should have. Connery, Dalton, Craig - heavyweights all, with presence in abundance. The majority of the current contenders? Not so much.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited September 2022 Posts: 2,015
    I think even if it's more appropriate to imagine someone in the role before they film their scenes as James Bond, we might never know who's right for the role, until a Bond scene is filmed with the actor. Then suddenly, we might start seeing it.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 784
    Presence Indeed. Masculine, scary looking, and there is weight behind his movements.

    But I always thought Isaacs like Dalton would have been a BBC Bond compared to Craig or Brosnan.

    Connery, Moore, Craig and Brosnan still possessed distinctly boyish qualities and charms.
  • Posts: 15,115
    QsCat wrote: »
    Just had a look at Isaacs in some scenes from The Tuxedo. He’d have been great! He was probably a bit too old at the time at about 40. I was aware of him before, but having just seen those clips of him I can’t help but think we are really scraping the barrel right now with Harry Styles and Josh Connor [-X

    At that time I don't think it would have been an issue. But he was probably too Lucius Malfoy. That said, I still sort of hope he'll play Dracula in a faithful adaptation of the novel. Not that it's very likely to happen.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 2022 Posts: 16,373
    Ooh he would be a good Drac, wouldn't he? Good call.
    Mind you, I think Claes Bang was pretty excellent.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 15,115
    mtm wrote: »
    Ooh he would be a good Drac, wouldn't he? Good call.
    Mind you, I think Claes Bang was pretty excellent.

    I think Bang was godawful in an even worse production. But Dracula needs first a good project with a writer and a production team that respects and loves the source material.

    Okay, okay I digress.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 2022 Posts: 16,373
    Right, okay, fine.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    Now picturing Isaacs as a driven and relentlessly deadly Bond...
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Yeah he has always seemed like a pretty good call. I'll have to watch The Tuxedo.
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546

    Really makes the most sense, IMO.
  • Posts: 4,137
    Maybe Aidan Turner would make a good villain if that's what they're thinking about at the moment. I'm not even joking.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    007HallY wrote: »
    Maybe Aidan Turner would make a good villain if that's what they're thinking about at the moment. I'm not even joking.

    In the vein of Greene, possibly.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 784
    Bond if anything. Not sure he has the range to play anything but an underacting villain. He is likeable in lead roles but I cringe when I see him in the Toast of Tinseltown.



    If bond however, I could see him pulling of the first film to lean heavily into the horror genre. (Scaramanga's mirror room meets Silva's cyanide face and Baron Samedi).

    It's either that, Nolanesque dark grand action or realism (if he can be a tad more charismatic).
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    Bond if anything. Not sure he has the range to play anything but an underacting villain. He is likeable in lead roles but I cringe when I see him in the Toast of Tinseltown.



    If bond however, I could see him pulling of the first film to lean heavily into the horror genre. (Scaramanga's mirror room meets Silva's cyanide face).

    It's either that, Nolanesque dark grand action, or realism (if he can be a tad more charismatic).

    LOL that was the whole point of that flick, I reckon he did a good job then. ToT is a low budget pulp production.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 784
    It's not cringe in the good way. Listen I think he would be a great Bond, but there is no arguing he is very unfit for certain roles. e.g. a villain like Dominic Greene. He is too good looking.

    But I could be wrong:
    tumblr_o2kr9gGnYg1u3ohl3o2_1280.jpg
    8fbff22ed3613e52d227aed71f2730a2.png
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 784
    Maybe if you give him a bald cap and a fat suit.
  • Posts: 1,630
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I think the actor who next plays Bond must come across convincingly as a battle-Hardy-ned warrior. He must be believable at action, whether shooting, kicking, punching or Elba-ing people. He must be able to quickly Turner from warm to cold-hearted when threatened, revealing a Cillian instinct. He must display plenty of Styles and taste for the finer things in life. He must be able to Hoult the bad guy's plans time and time again. When he finds himself at an all-time Lowden, he must bounce back and kick ass again. And when he is unable to complete the mission for himself, he must call in the Cavill-ry, so that we can have a YOLT-style battle again. He must be Sasse, and display a flair for comedy without being too Hamm-y. He must be prepared to go to France and Italy, South Africa and Holland. And of course, he must be in it for the Wyn.

    Just keep adding to it as you see fit.

    Waaaiiit a minute. I sense something is afoot ! Something tells me there's no Moore to be added...
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    It's not cringe in the good way. Listen I think he would be a great Bond, but there is no arguing he is very unfit for certain roles. e.g. a villain like Dominic Greene. He is too good looking.

    But I could be wrong:
    tumblr_o2kr9gGnYg1u3ohl3o2_1280.jpg
    8fbff22ed3613e52d227aed71f2730a2.png

    You have a point indeed. Where'd the head shot go though? Link me up Scotty.
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