Ralph Fiennes is already a known face to James Bond fans thanks to his work as M in the franchise’s most recent instalments.
But the Oscar nominee has revealed he previously missed out on an opportunity to play 007 himself after a meeting with producers.
“I used to love James Bond when I was younger and at one point they talked to me about Bond some years ago,” he recalled on Radio 3’s The Essay.
Unfortunately, during this meeting, Ralph has admitted that “maybe” he was “a bit of a dick”.
He continued: “I loved the books, and I like [former James Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli enormously. But I suggested – could they not do [the films] in the mid-1950s in black-and-white and very sort of film noir-y?”
Ralph pointed out that the “earlier” James Bond films are the most in keeping with the source material, praising 1963’s From Russia With Love for being “closest to the book”.
“The films got increasingly funny, wink-wink, tongue in cheek – and they were very successful. And I just think my taste was kind of less tongue-in-cheek,” he noted.
He then went on to praise the most recent 007, Daniel Craig, for “re-inventing Bond in a fantastic way”, “satisfying all the ‘franchise-y’ things” while still managing to provide “wit” and a “human” side to the character.
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At the time of writing, Bond fans are still waiting on an imminent announcement about the next actor who will take over at the helm of the iconic franchise.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the final round of casting took place in London last month, with Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, surprise addition Josh O’Connor and an unnamed fourth star thought to have all made it to the screen testing stage.
Heartstopper actor Jack Barton is another name who’s repeatedly been mentioned in the press in connection with the role, while Jacob Elordi was thought to have been ruled out fairly late in the day.
