Sam Heughan has stated that he was a candidate for the part of James Bond. The Outlander star revealed in his new memoir Waypoints: My Scottish Journey (out on October 25) that he tried out for the role of James Bond before Daniel Craig was cast in Casino Royale. The procedure was “cloaked in so much secrecy,” he said, that he “felt like a real-life spy,” drawing parallels to missions from James Bond movies. Heughan remarked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that trying out for the legendary part was “quite an experience,” but that the timing just wasn’t right. Heughan said, “I probably wasn’t ready for that at that moment in my life.” Still, “what if I had gotten it?” I find myself wondering.
Heughan explained in the interview that despite the part being kept under wraps, he was aware that he was being considered for it.
For the record, the mere possibility that I was in the same frame as such a legendary character was mind-boggling to me. In The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton stood out to me because he was a bit more sombre than the other performers. However, it was another Scot, Sir Sean Connery, who truly stood out as an icon due to his combination of charisma, hardness, good looks, and commanding Scottish accent. To which Bond replies, “James Bond.” I had to tell myself to chill out and let them see what I could accomplish with the role. Heughan claimed that producer Barbara Broccoli was “like M,” seated in a leather chair across a vast table when he saw her after his audition with the casting director. In front of her was a table with a fake gold handgun as the centrepiece. They talked about Scotland and Bond with the director of Casino Royale, Martin Campbell. Campbell read the sequence once. Heughan reflected on the event, saying, “It happened so fast that I was already sweating under my leather jacket.” “Everything was fantastic, but the cherry on top was how sweet and pleasant Barbara was. Before I went, I was wondering whether I was going to be put through a test including a vehicle pursuit back home.
The critique I received after finding out the position had gone elsewhere came down to the fact that I wasn’t edgy enough by nature, Heughan explained. The implication appeared to be that I lacked this trait in my genuine character, and I’m always eager to take on criticism so I may be better as an actor. To be honest, I didn’t understand how that would affect my performance in the part, but it was out of my control and fated to happen that way. Becoming a bad boy wasn’t even a consideration. While I didn’t have a lot of it at the time, I eventually recognised that self-assurance was the key to giving the Bond team the upper hand they were looking for.
Who will replace Daniel Craig as James Bond once his tenure ends is still up in the air? With the next Bond film still at least two years away, fans may have to wait a while before finding out who will play James Bond. Idris Elba recently denied reports that he was in contention for the role, joining the likes of Regé-Jean Page, Jacob Elordi, and Tom Hardy.