James Bond: Henry Cavill reveals why he wasn’t cast in Casino Royale

Last Updated on August 16, 2021

Henry Cavill is one of the current names that’s in the running for fans when it comes to who should take over the role of James Bond since No Time To Die will be the last time Daniel Craig will play 007. It’s all a bit of fan-casting at the moment but Cavill was once in serious contention to play James Bond before and he’s revealing why he believes he ultimately wasn’t cast.

During a recent chat with “Insider” to discuss his journey from being “a chubby kid” to fit enough action star to play the Man of Steel, The actor reflected on how this contributed to his auditioning for Casino Royale, the film that introduced Daniel Craig as James Bond and was set at the beginning of his career as Agent 007 for MI6. Martin Campbell, who directed the film, told a then-21-year-old Cavill that he wasn’t lean enough for the role but Cavill said the director’s comments came from a place of “mentorship and guidance” for the actor rather than that of body shaming. Here is what Cavill had to say:

“It was his tough love way of saying, ‘Look, mate, you’re in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if it’s for something like Bond.’ And I wasn’t by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera.”

Campbell has said that Cavill was the only other “serious” contender for the role but, in the end, he was simply “too young for this Bond.” This is the first time that the issue of Cavill not being lean enough to play Bond has been brought up and it sounds like Campbell’s words, which could’ve been taken in a very negative way by some, actually did some good for Cavill’s self-esteem and probably prepared him to be physically ready for when he had to contend for the role of Superman. Cavill has also gone on to show off his action and physical chops in films such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, as well as the Netflix series, The Witcher.

Do YOU think Henry Cavill should be considered to play James Bond again now that Daniel Craig is done with the role?