10 Actors Who Turned Down James Bond

Most of us would take the opportunity to be James Bond in a heartbeat but not these men. For these actors the name’s…well…not Bond.

1. Cary Grant – 1961

Reason For Decline: Cary felt he was too old at 58 to play the role.

2. Richard Burton – 1959, 1961, 1968

Reason For Decline: Wanted more than the producers were willing to pay.

3. Burt Reynolds – 1968

Reason For Decline: Burt felt as if Bond should be British.

4. Adam West – 1970

Reason For Decline: Like Burt Reynolds, Adam thought that Bond should be British.

5. Clint Eastwood – 1971

Reason For Decline: Also thought Bond should be British. We clearly need an American spy that lives up to Bond…

6. Liam Neeson – 1994

Reason For Decline: At the time, Liam wasn’t interested in starring in action movies…

7. Colin Farrell – 2004

Reason For Decline: Colin didn’t think audiences would want him to be James Bond.

8. Hugh Jackman – 2005

Reason For Decline: A busy schedule as well as Hugh’s fear of being typecast.

9. Ewan McGregor – 2005

Reason For Decline: Ewan also had a fear of being typecast after taking on the iconic role.

10. Gerard Butler – 2009

Reason For Decline: Gerard thought that becoming Bond would ruin his career.

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