Why a young actor will NEVER play James Bond

James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has explained why the character will never be played by a younger actor.

Traditionally, actors stepping into the role for the first time have been at least in their last 30s. Daniel Craig was 38 when he gained the role of 007 for Casino Royale and went on to portray the character for five movies across 15 years.

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His last was No Time to Die, released in 2021. Since then, Bond producers have been on the hunt for a new actor to play the iconic spy.

There has been speculation in the past that we might see a younger version of the character in any new project, but McWilliams, who has worked on the series since 1981, doesn't think inexperienced actors can handle the responsibility.

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"We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don't think they had the gravitas," she told Radio Times.

"They didn't have the experience, they didn't have the mental capacity to take it on, because it's not just the part they're taking on, it's a massive responsibility."

"Timothy Dalton was known, but he was known as a Shakespearean actor, really. Pierce (Brosnan) was known, but that was basically from television. Roger Moore was known from television. Sean Connery wasn't (known) – nobody had ever heard of him.

"A certain audience had heard of Daniel Craig, but much more the kind of independent cinema audience. He hadn't done any huge commercial film at all, really - 'Layer Cake' I suppose was the most popular, should we say, of the things he had done prior to Bond, because he wasn't a hugely well-known actor."

Has the new Bond been cast already?

There are several names that have been linked with the role of Bond over the last couple of years including Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taron Egerton, Kit Harrington, Rege Jean-Page, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Richard Madden.

Egerton, who stars in his own spy franchise with the Kingsman series, reckons the actor chosen has already been informed, even though there has been no official confirmation.

“Yeah. I mean, I think they’ve already got someone, and it’s not me,” he admitted in an interview with Total Film.

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve never been a part of the conversations. I’ve never met the Broccolis. They’ve never enquired about me. I’ve just never been one of the guys that they’re looking at. I just don’t think I’m the right person for that. I think there’s much, much, much better candidates for that role than me.

"But, you know, I’d be a very willing audience member. They’re brilliant films.”