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Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 1,005
    Generally Hollywood leading men simply don't want to put the time in to master a good British accent when they could be chasing girls. I think that's largely all there is to it - the U.S. leading men feel too secure to put themselves out, because they just don't care. Particularly the English upper-class accent is a difficult one to pull-off because it's not a relaxed accent, yet you have to sound comfortable and casual with it, which generally means adopting it 24/7 for several months. Many American actresses have, on the other hand, made some very good stabs at it because they are actually willing to take the time to get it right because it is harder for them (or was, things have changed) to get good roles.
  • dewiparrydewiparry
    Posts: 42
    Ludovico wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    patb wrote: »
    I'd like to find a linguistics expert to explain why Brits seem to do an OK American accent but not the reverse ("The Order" a recent example). I just cant imagine an American actor in the Bond role.

    Probably because Brits are exposed to American culture (films, TV) way more than vice versa, so the American accents are more familiar to Brits than British accents are to Americans.

    I'm a bit of a linguist, although I'm not a specialist. I suspect there are a number of factors involved. America is the dominant culture, so less likely to adapt to other realities. You see the same with French: not only they are unable to create a genuine Québec accent, but often they cannot distinguish it from a Belgium one. A Québec actor can usually neutralise his accent fairly easily if the role requires it. Then some cultures are physically more accute to sounds differences and can modulate their voice accordingly. Russians for instance are apparently better at learning foreign languages because of this.
    Great post and insight! I think American guys exaggerate their dialect when trying accents. Then again Johnny Depp could do it many times.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,423
    dewiparry wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    patb wrote: »
    I'd like to find a linguistics expert to explain why Brits seem to do an OK American accent but not the reverse ("The Order" a recent example). I just cant imagine an American actor in the Bond role.

    Probably because Brits are exposed to American culture (films, TV) way more than vice versa, so the American accents are more familiar to Brits than British accents are to Americans.

    I'm a bit of a linguist, although I'm not a specialist. I suspect there are a number of factors involved. America is the dominant culture, so less likely to adapt to other realities. You see the same with French: not only they are unable to create a genuine Québec accent, but often they cannot distinguish it from a Belgium one. A Québec actor can usually neutralise his accent fairly easily if the role requires it. Then some cultures are physically more accute to sounds differences and can modulate their voice accordingly. Russians for instance are apparently better at learning foreign languages because of this.
    Great post and insight! I think American guys exaggerate their dialect when trying accents. Then again Johnny Depp could do it many times.

    Thanks! Personally I was never impressed by Johnny Depp's English accent. It's better than most, but I nothing more.

    I think another difference might be educational: I suspect the way they learn acting in the UK puts more emphasis on pronunciation, diction, rhythm, etc. If American actors use more say method acting, this might handicap them with pronunciation in a radically different accent. But this is purely an hypothesis, I don't have enough knowledge of the acting world in both countries to go further.

    That said, I have an anecdote which might be relevant. During my years at uni in the UK, we had a drama club that made a lot of productions in a year. All sorts of things, plays made by the members (often pretentious rubbish), plenty of comedies, but also a good deal of dramas, mostly Shakespeare. They made fairly solid and well received productions of Shakespeare's tragedies, but they really struggled when they produced Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They could barely remember their lines and spoke them as if they were reading. So maybe we should cut American actors some slack: how many British actor do we hear speaking with a seamless American accent?
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,406
    This is looking like it could be an excellent “ audition”

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/lynley-leo-suter-sofia-barclay-tv-series-elizabeth-george-crime-novels-1236144029/

    fhqZile.jpg


  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    edited March 7 Posts: 2,721
    Hopefully it's a good showcase for Suter, great shout on him @talos7 mate, I can see him as Bond. Him and Aidan Turner are my favourites for the role

    I finally got round to finishing the BBC TV series The Game recently, it's a great showcase for Tom Hughes as a potential Bond. It was released in 2014, had Daniel stepped down after Spectre, I think he would have gotten a screentest.

    2015_18_the_game.jpg

    Hughes is still only 39, but perhaps his moment has passed. I think he would made a younger, darker, Dalton style brooding Bond
  • 007HallY007HallY
    edited March 7 Posts: 4,753
    I think there was an article claiming Broccoli asked about Hughes after seeing The Game (it's not a show I loved but I thought he was good and very Bondian in it). I've praised him in the past, think he could do something different but familiar with the role, and deserves a screen-test, although I don't think it'll be him in practice (he's a bit too subtle/brooding and doesn't quite have the swagger I think even Amazon will want with Bond). I find him an interesting actor though.
  • shimplyshocking007shimplyshocking007
    Posts: 163
    I wonder how they will screen test. Will it be the classic From Russia with love or something entirely different? I saw that last time out it was a scene from Goldeneye.
  • 007HallY007HallY
    Posts: 4,753
    shimplyshocking007 wrote: »
    I wonder how they will screen test. Will it be the classic From Russia with love or something entirely different? I saw that last time out it was a scene from Goldeneye.

    Well, under EON they did first line screen tests for certain candidates (that’s the GE tapes that were released), then if they were picked for later stages they’d do more formal screen tests like the FRWL one, a physical one, and eventually one from the movie they’re making (so with costumes, sets etc). To be honest that’s a pretty standard way of auditioning for big roles, so I don’t know if it’ll be fundamentally different. The specifics of what material they use might, but as long as they’re auditioning and going through that process I don’t think it’ll be dissimilar.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,721
    007HallY wrote: »
    I think there was an article claiming Broccoli asked about Hughes after seeing The Game (it's not a show I loved but I thought he was good and very Bondian in it). I've praised him in the past, think he could do something different but familiar with the role, and deserves a screen-test, although I don't think it'll be him in practice (he's a bit too subtle/brooding and doesn't quite have the swagger I think even Amazon will want with Bond). I find him an interesting actor though.

    Did she? I hadn't heard about that to be honest mate that's cool. Given his performance he does have a quality EON would look for, I think they'd have wanted someone who wasn't an obvious choice, similar to Daniel's casting.
  • 007HallY007HallY
    edited March 9 Posts: 4,753
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    I think there was an article claiming Broccoli asked about Hughes after seeing The Game (it's not a show I loved but I thought he was good and very Bondian in it). I've praised him in the past, think he could do something different but familiar with the role, and deserves a screen-test, although I don't think it'll be him in practice (he's a bit too subtle/brooding and doesn't quite have the swagger I think even Amazon will want with Bond). I find him an interesting actor though.

    Did she? I hadn't heard about that to be honest mate that's cool. Given his performance he does have a quality EON would look for, I think they'd have wanted someone who wasn't an obvious choice, similar to Daniel's casting.

    Whether it was true or not is a different matter! But he was rumoured for the role around 2016, mostly due to The Game - https://www.mi6-hq.com/news/tom-hughes-is-the-latest-next-bond-actor-touted-by-the-tabloids-160901

    Obviously it’s just tabloid stuff, but I can imagine him being looked at at that time.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,721
    007HallY wrote: »
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    I think there was an article claiming Broccoli asked about Hughes after seeing The Game (it's not a show I loved but I thought he was good and very Bondian in it). I've praised him in the past, think he could do something different but familiar with the role, and deserves a screen-test, although I don't think it'll be him in practice (he's a bit too subtle/brooding and doesn't quite have the swagger I think even Amazon will want with Bond). I find him an interesting actor though.

    Did she? I hadn't heard about that to be honest mate that's cool. Given his performance he does have a quality EON would look for, I think they'd have wanted someone who wasn't an obvious choice, similar to Daniel's casting.

    Whether it was true or not is a different matter! But he was rumoured for the role around 2016, mostly due to The Game - https://www.mi6-hq.com/news/tom-hughes-is-the-latest-next-bond-actor-touted-by-the-tabloids-160901

    Obviously it’s just tabloid stuff, but I can imagine him being looked at at that time.

    Thanks mate, I don't remember that at all. He does feel like an EON pick for Bond.
    Funnily enough, Hughes says something similar to what Daniel said an interview in a 2005 about the Bond role.

    I wonder if he was one of the actors Barbara met with according to recent reports, it said she met with a few.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,406
    At this point, what would it hurt for her to reveal with whom she met; then ag, it might hurt their chances.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited March 9 Posts: 3,240
    Yes, at this point being favoured by the old regime might be a hindrance to someone's chances if Amazon are trying to put their own distinct stamp on it.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,559
    Maybe we'll get a James Bond multiverse movie with Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, Clive Owen, etc. Various Moneypennys (including a CGI Maxwell and a de-aged Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Harris) could be caught in a time vortex and see each of these actors doing the FRWL scene.

    Call it Oh, James!
  • Since62Since62
    Posts: 1,695
    OK, here's the deal. THREE yes THREE separate timeline Mature Bond films. Lazenby, Dalton and Brosnan. Each picking up on something from their own story (Lazenby) or stories (Dalton, Brosnan). Bring it on !
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 17,316
    But we don't want continuity in Bond films, that's what everyone keeps saying anyway.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,406
    Self contained stories need not be independent of consistent continuity .
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,423
    Quick question: is there any movie franchise nowadays that provides purely standalone movies? Even in the last 20-25 years? With no sequel hook, no returning villain, no bigger bad, no hidden villain, no overarching plot, nothing of the sort? I hear people wanting standalone Bond films as if it's still a thing.
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