The James Bond franchise has been rebooted a number of times in the history of cinema. But to this day, Daniel Craig’s movie series of the character, which ended in 2021, is considered one of the best by the fans. Many aspects of the movies were highly praised by fans, as the Daniel Craig movies improved on a few points that the previous movies had received criticism for.
Not just Daniel Craig but many other actors involved in the movie series were appreciated for their roles. Mads Mikkelsen did an iconic job playing the antagonist in Casino Royale, and Dame Judi Dench played M excellently in the first three movies. But after her death in Skyfall, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) took over the role of M. This gave the director the idea to make M Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a famous James Bond antagonist, in disguise. But Fiennes refused.
Ralph Fiennes revolted against turning his character into a villain in James Bond movies
Ralph Fiennes is popularly known for his role as Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise. The actor has also portrayed the antagonist in many other movies including the iconic Steven Spielberg movie, Schindler’s List. So when director Sam Mendes signed on Fiennes to play M in his movies, he got the idea of turning his M into the biggest antagonist of the James Bond franchise, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
But the actor, who is against being typecast as a villain revolted against the decision, claiming that M has always been a positive character in the franchise and that is how it should stay. Fiennes, when he appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast by Josh Horowitz to promote his then-upcoming movie, The King’s Man, recounted the incident.
He told the podcast host,
“I think I can say now that I had to fight off an attempt by Sam in ‘Spectre’ to make M — I said ‘I don’t want to play M and then you turn around and make him the bad guy. M is never the bad guy.’ So I had to have some pretty intense discussions with Sam saying, ‘This is not flying with me…’ “
The actor did an excellent job playing the character of M, it impressed the fans and it showcased that the actor is capable of playing a variety of characters and not just evil masterminds.
Ralph Fiennes was once almost cast as James Bond
Before bagging the role of M, Ralph Fiennes was scouted for the role of James Bond, but he did not get cast. Pierce Brosnan was picked for the role at the time instead. The actor believes that it was for the best as he would not have been able the play the character that well.
The actor stated in an interview that he was in a conversation to be cast as James Bond, but it did not go beyond the conversation.
“There was a conversation that was great and a meeting with Cubby Broccoli, that was terrific. I think that’s all I can say, except that it didn’t lead to anything on both sides. I don’t think I felt ready to commit and I think they were looking at Pierce.”
He further praised Brosnan for his portrayal of the character. He even stated that he was happier playing M than the lead while also praising his co-star Daniel Craig.
“I think I would’ve been a terrible Bond, actually. I think I’m happier playing M. And I think Daniel Craig is a brilliant Bond.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong and it was a great decision to fight Sam Mendes and keep his character positive. But now it seems that he is no longer interested in returning to play the role when the franchise returns with a new Bond.
All James Bond movies are streaming on Prime Video
Source: Happy Sad Confused
