“I’ve seen what Daniel did”: Henry Cavill Believes Hiring Daniel Craig and Getting Rejected for James Bond Was the Right Choice
Who does not want to be the face of the suave and charismatic spy James Bond? Similar was the dream of the Superman of Hollywood Henry Cavill. When Pierce Brosnan took an exit from the billion-dollar spy drama franchise with Die Another Day in 2002, the quest for the face of James Bond had already started by the franchise heads.
Daniel Craig went on to become the face of the 007 franchise with the release of Casino Royale in 2006. Not many people know that Henry Cavill was nearly cast as James Bond before the Knives Out actor took over. The British actor even rejected a critically acclaimed historical drama led by Zack Snyder. The Witcher actor feels going ahead with Daniel Craig was the right decision for the 007 franchise.
Henry Cavill Felt Roping In Daniel Craig For Casino Royale Was The Right Choice By The 007 Franchise
Despite being such a popular face in the entertainment industry, Henry Cavill’s James Bond dream could never come to fruition. During an interview with the media outlet Contact Music in 2013, Henry Cavill spoke about Daniel Craig and even praised the decision taken by the James Bond franchise to go ahead with the actor. Despite his loss, the DC actor felt that Daniel Craig was the best choice for the face of the James Bond franchise. He confessed-
“The choice was between a younger Bond and one closer to his 40s, which is to say, Daniel Craig. But I’ve seen what Daniel did and I think the Bond producers made the right choice. He’s fantastic,”
Henry Cavill had auditioned for Casino Royale. He had turned down the proposition of Zack Snyder’s historical epic 300. During the interview with the Nuts Magazine via Contact Music he mentioned-
“I’d turned down a leading role in 300 because it was down to Daniel Craig and me, and auditioning for Bond took all my focus,”
Scottish actor Gerard Butler went ahead with Zack Snyder’s 300. He was critically praised for his performance in the historical drama.
Director Martin Campbell gave Henry Cavill An Advice After Rejecting Him For Casino Royale
Casino Royale director Martin Campbell was quite impressed with the audition of Henry Cavill for the character of James Bond. During an interview with the reputed media outlet Express in 2012, the director was all praises for the Man Of Steel star and even went on to compare him with Pierce Brosnan, he said-
“Perhaps Henry Cavill was too young for it then, he was 22 at the time we auditioned for Casino Royale, but maybe he could still be James Bond in the future. After all, Pierce Brosnan did a great screen test only to eventually get the part years later.”
During an interview with Insider, Henry Cavill recalled his audition for Casino Royale, he spoke about the advice that was given to him by director Martin Campbell. He said-
“It was his tough love way of saying, ‘Look, mate, you’re in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if it’s for something like Bond.’ And I wasn’t by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera,”
Henry Cavill still feels that he could have never done justice to James Bond’s character, the way Daniel Craig has done over the years.
Casino Royale can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Source: Contact Music/ Express/ Insider
