To date, a number of acclaimed actors have duly played the role of James Bond, including Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Since the role of 007 has always been highly sought after in the history of film, it makes sense that hundreds of actors have auditioned for it but were not selected. Sam Worthington was one of those stars who, unfortunately, did not fit into the tuxedo suit.
Worthington rose to fame in Hollywood following his portrayal of Jake Sully and is best known for his roles in popular franchises such as Avatar and Clash of the Titans. And this made him the next big thing, giving him the chance to play the renowned role of 007, the British Secret Service agent. However, in an interview with Variety, Worthington candidly admitted that he could only portray the British spy as a cold-blooded killer. Unfortunately, this led him to lose the opportunity to play the secret agent.
A Killer Dilemma: Sam Worthington Lost Out on James Bond Role to Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig assumed James Bond’s role in Casino Royale, following Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal. But in the middle of the 2000s, Sam Worthington came dangerously close to being the next James Bond instead of Craig. In an interview with Variety, he stated that he could only portray the British spy as a ruthless killer. His self-imposed constraint, however, cost him the chance to wear the gracious tuxedo, as the role eventually went to the Spectre star. He recalled:
“I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me.The suit did not fit. I had no idea what I was doing.”
Worthington, who went out to dinner with the James Bond producers, claimed that even though Craig won the role, watching Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producers of the 007 franchise, in action gave him invaluable insight into what goes into making it successful. He shared:
“They are so detailed and meticulous. They are protective and passionate about this series. And what I learned is that you listen to these people. It’s the same thing with [‘Avatar’ director] James Cameron. He’s done all the research and there’s nothing you can’t ask him that he doesn’t have an answer for.”
Sam Worthington Discussed His ‘Awful’ Audition For James Bond in Casino Royale
Sam Worthington said that his “awful audition” was the reason he did not get the role of a lifetime as James Bond in Casino Royale. The 47-year-old Australian actor remembered that his own self-defeating behavior ultimately prevented him from getting the slot. Speaking to Nova FM Fitzy & Wippa (via the New York Post) about the audition process, he revealed that he was required to wear a tuxedo for a scene of the James Bond movie From Russia With Love:
“So you [have to] walk in, and there’s the girl in the bed. You charm her… And I couldn’t get the killer of Bond down, I just couldn’t get the charm, I couldn’t charm her. The suit didn’t fit man.”
In addition, even though both of his parents are British, Worthington acknowledged that he struggled to perfect his British accent:
“I said, ‘If I do an Australian I’m gonna be the next George Lazenby.’ He only did one and I didn’t want to be like that. So I tried British. It was awful.”
Worthington also described his accent as nothing less than “laughable”. He added:
“I sounded like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins. I remember [director] Martin [Campbell] going, ‘Just do your normal voice. It’s all cool man’.”
However, his career eventually turned around when he was cast in the lead role in the $2.923 billion film Avatar, which shattered multiple box office records and became the highest-grossing movie of all time. The success of the movie led to the creation of the Avatar franchise, which includes the follow-ups Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar 3 (2025), Avatar 4 (2029), and Avatar 5 (2031).
Avatar films can be streamed on Disney, while Casino Royale is available on Amazon Prime Video.
