Casino Royale Director Martin Campbell: Henry Cavill was ‘Tremendous’ in Bond Audition
Let’s journey back to 2006, a time when a young Henry Cavill was itching to swap his everyday attire for the suave sophistication of a Bond tux. Picture it, a pre-Man of Steel Cavill, brimming with ambition, standing tall in front of Casino Royale‘s director, Martin Campbell.
The stakes? As high as they come. The atmosphere? More akin to an intense round of Texas Hold’em than a run-of-the-mill audition. But alas, Lady Luck was playing a different hand that day.
Our man Cavill put forth a “tremendous” audition, but the role of James Bond 007, in the end, was served shaken not stirred to Daniel Craig. The lad then went on to don the tux in not one, not two, but five action-packed James Bond movies.
Campbell, in a recent chinwag with The Daily Express, couldn’t help but gush over Cavill’s audition, “He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous.”
You could almost hear the sigh in his voice as he reminisced, “And look, if Daniel didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape…very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”
Yeah, you read it right. Young! Our future Superman was just a whippersnapper, about 22 at the time, while Craig was a seasoned 38. Just a couple of years younger than Cavill is now, hint hint Barbara!
A Democratic Vote that Daniel Craig Won
Peeling back the curtain on the casting process, Campbell compared it to a democratic vote, “The way they work with Bond, and it’s pretty terrific, is when they decide on the actor and you audition — in our case, it was eight people – it’s very democratic.”
“You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself and the producers, casting director, etc. And you go through the eight people and you put your hand up as you talk through each person and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision, if you see what I mean.”
Now here’s the irony. Cavill, who once was “too young” may now be considered “too old” to slip into Bond’s tux, as Campbell indicated, “Ironically, Cavill may now be too old for a second run at the secret agent following Craig’s retirement with No Time to Die.”
Campbell explained how the gig can consume a good chunk of an actor’s prime, “By the time Daniel got to [No Time To Die], really he was at an age where one more would have been too old for him. I know with Pierce he had to sign on to three when we did him. So that’s going to take, what, six years of your life maybe?”
“I suspect Daniel [had] the same deal. And the next guy’s going to have to do that. Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond.”
Despite all this, Campbell still seemed fond of Cavill, “He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”
The Hunt for the Next James Bond Goes On
So our man Henry Cavill didn’t get to sip the martini, but he got to fly around in a cape. Not too shabby. He’s been DC’s Superman since 2013’s Man of Steel and has been flexing his Kryptonian muscles in the subsequent sequels.
And so, the saga continues for Bond 26. The hunt for the next Bond is in full swing, like a high-stakes poker game. Henry Cavill remains a favorite in the betting, but apparently, the casting director, Debbie McWilliams, has rubbished all rumours, so we don’t really know.
