Sam Heughan (L); Daniel Craig as James Bond.Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty, Danjaq/Eon Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
Sam Heughanis reflecting on auditioning forJames Bond— and how his life may be different today had he gotten the part.
In a chat withEntertainment Weeklysurrounding the release of his upcoming memoirWaypoints: My Scottish Journey,the 42-year-oldOutlanderactor recalled not getting the iconic role of 007 that most recently went toDaniel Craig.
“It was a stage in my life where I probably wasn’t ready for it, but I wonder what would have happened if I had got it,” said Heughan, tellingEWthat the audition “was quite an experience.”
“I’m always keen to take on criticism so I can improve as an actor, but the suggestion seemed to be that I lacked this quality in my real character,” he adds, perEW. “I could not see what bearing that would have on playing the role, but it was out of my hands, and meant to be.”
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Daniel Craig as James Bond.MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection
While Heughan “would love to see [another] Scottish Bond,” he appreciates the fact that Craig, 54, “ultimately … made Bond his own.”
The actor also gives a nod to the lateSean Connery, a fellow Scot he calls “the real icon” who, as Bond, “had it all: charm, ruthlessness, physical presence and the accent to match.”
Heughan’s Bond-audition story comes as buzz continues about who will take on the mantle of the fictional spy after Craig, who has retired as Bond following 2021’sNo Time to Die.
In an interview withVarietypublished last month,BondproducersMichael G. WilsonandBarbara Broccolisaid they are stillworking on pitching actorsfor the part following Craig’s departure — includingIdris Elba, whom Broccoli, 62, said they loved.
RELATED VIDEO:No Time to DieCast on Bonding Behind the Scenes and Why Daniel Craig Was a “Proper Joker” on Set
“The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off,” she explained. “And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-, 12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it].”
Added Wilson, 80, “And he was in his early 30s at the time!”
Waypoints: My Scottish Journeyis out Tuesday.
source: people.com
