![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311653798-2123.jpg\")
\n\t\tFrom Lucifer to 007? I can see it (Picture: Agency\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tFrom Lucifer to 007? I can see it (Picture: Agency\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a moment most actors would dream of \u2013 getting the seal of approval from James Bond<\/a> himself to be 007.<\/p>\n Tom Ellis<\/a> certainly has the swagger to pull off the international man of mystery. He played the love of Miranda Hart<\/a>\u2019s life in her heartwarming sitcom. Became the silver-tongued Lord of Hell in Lucifer<\/a>, a role that made him a global star. And now, he\u2019s entered the world of espionage in new police drama CIA, bringing British charm to his rebellious spy Colin Glass.<\/p>\n \u2018When I got the script, the character of Colin was this enigmatic tinderbox of many things that he has to sit on. The more research I did about the CIA, the more interested I was in playing him,\u2019 the Welsh actor tells Metro.<\/p>\n \u2018We had a couple of ex-operatives in the writers\u2019 room that were used for advising and for storylines as well. My overwhelming takeaway was I can\u2019t believe that they actually do the things they do and they put themselves in the situations that they do. You have to be kind of like a sociopath to work in this department.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018The big thing that really resonated with me was the lonely existence that it is. You can\u2019t tell your family about it, your inner circle of trust is maybe one or two people, so you don\u2019t have any relief from it. How that makes people behave\u2026 I find it fascinating.\u2019<\/p>\n In CIA, Colin is a loose cannon. His rebellious streak is a far cry from the straight-laced approach of FBI agent Bill Goodman (Nick Gehlfuss), which makes their unlikely partnership that much more thrilling.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t While Colin was originally supposed to be American, shortly after meeting Tom, creator Dick Wolf decided that the actor should keep his British accent. \u2018I wasn\u2019t sure if that was the right call, to be honest. My question was, do they have British people in the CIA? And Dick actually said it doesn\u2019t matter because it\u2019s the perfect cover,\u2019 he recalls.<\/p>\n This also added to the \u2018conflict\u2019 between Colin and Bill, due to the way Brits like to \u2018take everyone down a peg\u2019. British banter at its finest.<\/p>\n Tom drew comparisons to Bond, acknowledging that when we think of 007, we picture him \u2018doing all these incredible missions and all these beautiful women, and that is the TV and film version of spying\u2019. On CIA, they wanted to take a more \u2018realistic\u2019 approach.<\/p>\n \u2018We do have a bit of that in the show, but we\u2019re trying to ground it as much as possible in what the reality of working in the CIA is,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, he did have a recent brush with Bond, playing Pierce Brosnan<\/a>\u2019s son in Richard Osman<\/a>\u2019s Netflix<\/a> film The Thursday Murder Club, which came out last year. Did Pierce give him any advice about playing a spy, I wonder?<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018No, he didn\u2019t. But he did tell me he thought I\u2019d make a good Bond, and I was like, \u201cPierce, I think I\u2019m probably too old now. But I\u2019ll take it from you, mate. I\u2019ll take it from you,\u201d\u2019 the 47-year-old responds lightheartedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Tom hasn\u2019t been named among the contenders to take over the mantle, I can see it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been five years since his biggest role as Lucifer Morningstar came to an end, but the legacy of the show still lives on. About a year ago, he admitted that he would \u2018never say never\u2019 to reprising the character, but that now wasn\u2019t the right time.\u00a0<\/p>\n How does he resist the temptation, when he knows the diehard fans would lap it up?<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s such a double-edged sword playing a character for a long time. When I first got into acting, I really enjoyed the variety of playing a different character. And then you get the privilege of playing someone for a long time, and it\u2019s so much fun to do that. You\u2019re just so relaxed in the process, and it becomes second nature to you,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018But I want to be acting for the rest of my life, and I want to be doing the variety side of it still. I did Lucifer for six years. We did 93 episodes, and I was ready to finish.\u2019<\/p>\n However, that desire for longevity in a role has since come back.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t \u2018Five years later, I find myself going, \u201cI miss working with the same people all the time, and I really miss the continuity of that aspect of life, leading a set and having a positive input.\u201d So when CIA came up, I thought maybe it\u2019s time to do something for a long time again. I won\u2019t want to play Colin Glass forever either. I feel very privileged to be doing it right now.\u2019<\/p>\n Another role that I\u2019m sure fans would go wild over him returning to is Gary Preston in Miranda. The sitcom ended 11 years ago, with Gary and Miranda tying the knot in the final episode.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Tell Me Lies actor admits that he and Miranda have discussed reviving the characters, adding: \u2018The thing that I really admire about Miranda is that she won\u2019t do something for the sake of doing it.\u2019<\/p>\n More than a decade later, he imagines that Gary and Miranda \u2018probably have a few children\u2019, and are dealing with the \u2018insanity\u2019 of being parents while \u2018living their best life together\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s iconic, and people still revisit it. It\u2019s timeless, and it\u2019s so funny. You can\u2019t help but laugh and love those characters, and I feel it was a big point in my life when doing that show, and I have so much affection for it and for her. That will never go away,\u2019 he shares.<\/p>\n CIA is available to watch on Sky Witness and NOW.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311653805-af66.jpg\")
\n\t\tTom Ellis plays a rule-breaking, quippy spy in his new crime drama CIA (Picture: CBS)<\/p>\n![\"No](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311654979-4c0d.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe played Lucifer Morningstar, the Lord of Hell, for six years (Picture: Netflix\/Everett\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311654983-3c1d.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe starred in The Thursday Murder Club with some of Hollywood\u2019s most iconic talent, including Pierce Brosnan, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ben Kingsley (Picture: Gregory Pace\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311654893-36d4.jpg\")
\n\t\tMiranda and Gary had their happily ever after 11 years ago (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n![\"Tell](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SEI_311654981-78fd.jpg\")
\n\t\tTom recently starred in the drama Tell Me Lies, which was created by his wife, screenwriter Meaghan Oppenheimer (Picture: Disney\/Josh Stringer)<\/p>\n
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