Henry Cavill says he would rather face James Bond than play him. The 42-year-old actor said he would love to take on a villain’s role in the untitled Bond 26, arguing that he is probably too old now to begin as 007.
“I didn’t turn the role down – it just wasn’t the right time,” Cavill said, adding, “What actor wouldn’t love to be Bond?” But he drew a line between wearing the tuxedo and causing the trouble, saying, “I would love to be a Bond villain, though,” and that if the part were right, “that would be fascinating to explore.”
The comments matter because Cavill was once in the frame to replace Pierce Brosnan and, in 2005, auditioned for Casino Royale before Daniel Craig won the role. His tryout has been described as viral, with Cavill reportedly doing a Sean Connery impersonation while reading GoldenEye lines during a 2–3-minute audition. That early miss has followed him ever since, especially as Bond 26 casting chatter continues.
There is also a reason the villain idea does not feel far-fetched. Cavill already played August Walker in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, a character later revealed as John Lark, a ruthless assassin working for the Apostles, a terrorist syndicate hunting three plutonium cores. Recent discussion around that role has been used as evidence that he could carry a Bond adversary with ease, even as other names such as Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are being discussed as leading options for 007.
The real answer, for now, is that Cavill does not sound like a man chasing the Bond part anymore. He sounds like someone who has made peace with missing it, and is more interested in stealing the movie from the other side of the table.
