Sam Neill has revealed that he never intended to take the role of James Bond even if he was offered the part in the early 1990s.
Back when Roger Moore was 007, speculation was rife as to who would play Bond with every passing entry in the franchise, as Moore opted to negotiate his return on a film-by-film basis.
Neill wasn't known to a worldwide audience as he was yet to appear in the likes of The Hunt for Red October and, of course, Jurassic Park.
However, his performance in the British television series Reilly, Ace of Spies earned him plaudits and put him in the Bond conversation due to how exciting his performance was as a Bond-like character.
According to Neill, he never wanted to audition for the role in the first place.
“First of all, I wouldn’t have taken the role if they’d asked me to do it,” he told Den of Geek.
“It was the last time that I was bullied into doing a screen test. My agent insisted that I go and do it, it would be rude otherwise. So reluctantly I went out to Pinewood and did this silly thing for a part I never wanted to do.”
Barbara Broccoli allegedly campaigned for Neill to be given the role, but famed producer Albert Broccolli ultimately decided to go with Pierce Brosnan.
Dalton then Brosnan
After Brosnan's Remington Steele series was renewed, his casting as Bond was delayed, with Timothy Dalton stepping in for The Living Daylights and License to Kill.
Neill has no regrets about not becoming one of the most famous characters in history, and is happy that his friend, Brosnan, got the role as he wanted it much more.
“It was a part that my friend Pierce Brosnan was mad keen to do, and he was very good at it,” the New Zealander explained.
“I wouldn’t have been any good and I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. And I certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed being recognized as that James Bond you didn’t like . So it was never a question.”
Watch Sam Neill's screen test as Bond below:
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