{"id":813094,"date":"2026-10-25T04:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T04:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813094\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T04:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T04:30:18","slug":"one-james-bond-casting-test-has-nothing-to-do-with-acting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813094\/","title":{"rendered":"One James Bond Casting Test Has Nothing to Do With Acting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFinal James Bond<\/a> screen tests have begun, which means there\u2019s a chance that while you\u2019re reading this an actor is auditioning in London for the biggest role of their life, a casting that could make its mark on one of the world\u2019s longest-running film franchises.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe oddsmakers \u2014 taking a cue from The Hollywood Reporter and others\u2019 reporting<\/a> \u2014 suggest Jack Lowden and Callum Turner are the favorites<\/a>. Both have their apparent pros and cons.<\/p>\n

\n\tLowden has a very likable presence on Apple TV\u2019s Slow Horses, where he plays MI5 agent River Cartwright. For years, the role has looked like an audition for Bond. All the things Bond does \u2014 drama, action, romance, stunts \u2014 are on display, even though Lowden\u2019s character has a rather different low-key vibe than 007. He\u2019s an everyman pick, and that\u2019s a rather refreshing idea that would give Bond writers new notes to explore with the character.<\/p>\n

\n\tTurner looks like he might have been grown in a lab to play Bond, which is the best thing about him as a choice, but also a potential detriment if producers want somebody who feels more original. He seems could be perfect for the part \u2014 handsome and suave and posh. Between him and Lowden, Turner would also likely win the sex appeal contest.<\/p>\n

\n\tReportedly in the mix are Jack O\u2019Connell and Josh O\u2019Connor \u2014 two actors with such similar names one wonders if sources leaking to the press got the two mixed up and only one of them is actually auditioning.<\/p>\n

\n\tRegardless of who gets the part, there is a lot more to playing Bond than merely fighting and bantering and firing a Walther PPK.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are qualities that many pundits on the sidelines might overlook, but Bond\u2019s producers most assuredly will not: Bond may be a rogue character who plays by his own rules, but the actor cast in the role has to be the ultimate team player. Bond is a massive commitment that requires an actor to adhere to the highest professional standards for more than a decade. The actor may not always be playing Bond, but will forever be a Bond, and therefore must be counted upon to not embarrass the franchise.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis means the choice should be somebody who, for instance, isn\u2019t going to sound off divisively about politics, get into messy domestic disputes or start going on public benders. More subtly, it means somebody who\u2019s down to be an agreeable brand ambassador for the part, who will treat fans respectfully and gamely participate in the intense media circus which accompanies every Bond film.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey also have to, preferably, not be a jerk behind the scenes \u2014 missing on that one could make the typical nine-month production process for a Bond film much more difficult for all involved.<\/p>\n

\n\tThese things are true for any lead role in a movie, but they\u2019re far more true for playing Bond due to the iconic importance of the character and expected four-or-five-film commitment.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe last thing Team Bond wants is a scandal like the one that befell Marvel after casting Jonathan Majors in a multi-film villain role. That was a mess<\/a>, and resulted in an announced movie being scrapped. Yet Majors\u2019 part was merely a villain amid an ensemble cast, not a lead who\u2019s on camera in just about every scene.<\/p>\n

\n\tLegendary Bond producer Cubby Broccoli once said<\/a> casting George Lazenby for 1969\u2019s On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service was \u201cbiggest mistake in 16 years.\u201d Broccoli said the actor \u201cjust couldn\u2019t deal with success. He was so arrogant.\u201d Lazenby made just one Bond film before Sean Connery returned to the role. While Broccoli\u2019s daughter, Barbara, who led the producing team on Bond until just last year, noted to Variety in 2022, \u201cWhen we cast Bond, it\u2019s a 10-, 12-year commitment \u2026 Not everybody wants to do that \u2026 It\u2019s not just showing up for a couple of months of filming.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Final James Bond screen tests have begun, which means there\u2019s a chance that while you\u2019re reading this an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":813095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7135,96,59,718,2289,5453,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-813094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-callum-turner","tag-entertainment","tag-gb","tag-international","tag-jack-lowden","tag-james-bond","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/813095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}