James Bond has been played by seven actors over the past 64 years — and in that time, many more stars have auditioned to play the iconic part.
The hunt for the next 007 is in full swing, as several actors — including Callum Turner and Jack Lowden — are set to screen test for the iconic part in October, per The Hollywood Reporter. In the end, one will emerge as the newest British spy with a license to kill, joining the ranks of Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
From Connery’s Dr. No (1962) to Craig’s No Time to Die (2021), a total of 27 James Bond films have been released so far. Some stars who auditioned for these Bond films as the MI6 agent eventually landed different roles in the Bond universe, while others have auditioned once or multiple times, to no avail.
Here are 11 actors who auditioned for James Bond over the years but didn’t secure the part.
01 of 11
Richard Todd
Richard ToddCredit: PA/Getty
Richard Todd was author Ian Fleming’s preferred pick to become the first James Bond in Dr. No, according to the Daily Telegraph (via the Los Angeles Times).
However, the actor had a scheduling conflict, as he was slated to play the lead in the 1963 film Death Drums Along the River. The part ultimately went to Connery.
02 of 11
Michael Billington
Michael Billington in 1982Credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC/Getty
Michael Billington auditioned for Bond and was shortlisted for the role on several occasions, including for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), Moonraker (1979) and Octopussy (1983), per Far Out Magazine.
Although the star was passed over every time, he played KGB agent Sergei Barsov in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
03 of 11
James Brolin
James BrolinCredit: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch/Getty
American actor James Brolin auditioned for 1983’s Octopussy during Roger Moore’s run as Bond. He was then hired for the role after Moore “said he would never do another” 007 film, Brolin told PEOPLE in July 2025.
However, before any papers were signed, the star of 1979’s The Amityville Horror said, “I got a call saying Roger decided to do one more, and I was out.”
04 of 11
Sam Neill
Sam Neill in 1986Credit: Getty
After Moore actually hung up his suit, Sam Neill was considered for the role in in 1987’s The Living Daylights. Neill was not offered the role — and he was relieved by that outcome.
“I really did not want that part and my friend Pierce Brosnan wanted it so much,” he told Today Australia in July 2023.
He continued, “So you know, it was really contrary and I felt so awkward all that day that we made that thing. It went on and on and on, but I’m so relieved they offered it to someone else. And welcome to it! Because you really don’t want to be the Bond that no one likes.”
05 of 11
Sean Bean
Sean Bean in 2001Credit: Evan Agostini/ImageDirect/Getty
Sean Bean said there was “talk” of him becoming the next Bond when he was in his early 30s. However, the actor figured he was “too young,” he told Variety in October 2025.
Luckily, a few years later, he was asked to play 006 in 1995’s GoldenEye, calling the part “the next best thing.”
06 of 11
Dominic West
Dominic WestCredit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
When The Wire star Dominic West auditioned for Casino Royale in 2005, he showed up wearing a T-shirt and old jeans. The move was good for him in the eyes of director Martin Campbell, as West told Esquire UK in December 2018 that other actors had turned up wearing tuxes.
“At the time, I really wanted to get it,” he told the outlet. “I love Bond, and I was the right age for it. They asked me, ‘What do you think should happen with Bond?’ And I said something deeply uninspired like, ‘I think he should go back to being more like Sean Connery.’ I thought then that it was the best job you can do.”
He added that he was “delighted now” that he didn’t get the part, partially because landing the role would’ve meant “a year-and-a-half of hell doing publicity.”
07 of 11
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill in 2008Credit: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic
Henry Cavill is among the many actors who unsuccessfully screen tested for 007 in Casino Royale. He recalled bombing the scene in a November 2019 interview with Men’s Health, saying he “probably could have prepared better.”
The audition involved reenacting a scene of Connery as Bond exiting a bathroom in nothing but a towel.
“I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry,’” Cavill told the outlet. “I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”
08 of 11
Antony Starr
Antony Starr in 2007Credit: WireImage
New Zealand actor Antony Starr was in the running for Bond when he auditioned for Casino Royale. He later called his performance “stone-faced.”
“My metaphor for that was throwing a baitless hook into a very large pond knowing you’re not going to catch the fish,” Starr recalled on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in March 2025. “It is one of the worst readings of ‘Bond, James Bond,’ you’ll ever see.”
09 of 11
Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend in 2006Credit: Patrick McMullan/Getty
Before Rupert Friend landed roles in Pride & Prejudice and Homeland, the actor auditioned to play Bond in Casino Royale.
Friend was eventually approached about doing a Bond series about the character straight out of college, but he ultimately declined the opportunity because he felt he was too young to take on the weight of the iconic role, the actor told Variety in May 2023.
10 of 11
Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington in 2009Credit: Barry King/FilmMagic
Australian actor Sam Worthington was a finalist for Bond in Casino Royale, but he told Variety in December 2022 that he couldn’t nail down Bond’s charisma during the audition.
“I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me,” Worthington told the outlet. “The suit did not fit.”
11 of 11
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys in 2007Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Wireimage
During Matthew Rhys’ audition for Casino Royale, the Widow’s Bay star was asked what he’d do differently as Bond and he was flustered by the question.
He told The Times of London in April 2023 that he chose to make a joke: “I’d give him a limp. I said, ‘Limp?’ Nothing. ‘Eye patch?’ Nothing.”
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