Henry Cavill has built an insane fan following thanks to his portfolio which boasts a ton of iconic characters. From Superman to Geralt of Rivia, there’s nothing that Henry Cavill cannot do! However, the actor’s fans are still waiting and hoping to see him play yet another iconic character from the entertainment industry – James Bond.
Since Daniel Craig put an end to his journey as Agent 007, there has been a lot of talk about who will be the next to bring the character to life. While many actors could take on the role, Henry Cavill surely tops the fan-favorite list. There was a moment in the past when Henry Cavill almost played James Bond but that never became a reality and the casting director might have revealed why.
Why Wasn’t Henry Cavill Selected for James Bond?
There were a lot of actors who auditioned for Casino Royale including Henry Cavill. Obviously, Daniel Craig ended up sweeping the casting directors off their feet and became the next James Bond. He went on to do five films in the franchise before saying his goodbyes to the character. Given the fact that Cavill is one of the most brilliant actors of today, it might be a bit confusing why he didn’t bag the role.
Well, the answer is simple. He just didn’t have enough experience at the time as this is pre-2006 we are talking about. According to casting director Debbie McWilliams, the team thought that he and other younger actors didn’t have what it takes to take on the massive responsibility. She told RadioTimes,
“When we started, it was a slightly different feel. We did look at a lot of younger actors. and I just don’t think they had the gravitas, 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. So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again.”
Director Martin Campbell also talked about Cavill’s inexperience at the time stating that while the Enola Holmes actor was good at what he does, Craig’s experience made him a far better choice.
Henry Cavill’s Lack of Popularity Wasn’t the Reason
Cavill started his film career with Laguna back in 2001. Needless to say, he hadn’t risen to popularity by 2005. While some might think that his lack of fame was why he wasn’t selected to play James Bond, it was most certainly not the case. McWilliams recalled every actor who played the character and how they too were mostly unknown for their work.
“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, but he wasn’t a hugely well known actor.”
Since it’s been some time since Cavill auditioned for the role, he has grown a lot as an actor. The mental capacity the James Bond team was looking for can definitely be found in Cavill. Only time will tell if the actor gets to fulfill his dreams of playing Bond or not but the former would certainly make his fans jump up and down with joy!
Source: RadioTimes
