We know Henry Cavill was almost James Bond in the early 00s, but now we are getting more insight from Casino Royale director Martin Campbell. In a new interview with Express UK, the filmmaker looks back at a time when Cavill was almost the iconic 007.
“He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous,” Campbell said. “And look, if Daniel didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape…very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”
Despite Cavill’s good performance, the Casino Royale director says Craig was the production team’s decision: “The way they work with Bond, and it’s pretty terrific, is when they decide on the actor and you audition — in our case, it was eight people — it’s very democratic,” Campbell said. “You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself and the producers, casting director, etc. And you go through the eight people, and you put your hand up as you talk through each person, and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision if you see what I mean.”
Campbell dives into some odd irony. As Cavill was once far too young for the part , Campbell feels that the actor could’ve aged into the role better than Daniel Craig by the time No Time To Die came around.
“By the time Daniel got to [No Time To Die], really he was at an age where one more would have been too old for him,” Campbell notes. “I know with Pierce, he had to sign on to three when we did him. So that’s going to take, what, six years of your life, maybe? I suspect Daniel [had] the same deal. And the next guy’s going to have to do that.”
“Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one, he’s going to be 50, and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond,” the director added. “He’s in good shape, Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”
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Campbell is awaiting the release of his new film, Dirty Angels. The film stars Eva Green, Ruby Rose, Maria Bakalova, Rona-Lee Shimon, Jonica T. Gibbs, and Christopher Backus.
