One of the former favourites for the role of James Bond has confirmed he ‘wouldn’t turn it down’ as the rampant speculation over casting continues. Welsh heart-throb Luke Evans has already wowed in major franchises including Fast and Furious and The Hobbit – but the role of the iconic spy is another feather he would add to his cap. The 45-year-old reckons he still has ‘some years left in me to do stunts’ too, after Bond producers said they were looking for an actor in their 30s to make the long-term commitment to the part.
Beauty and the Beast star Evans has been one of several names put forward as the next 007 after Daniel Craig left the role following 2021’s No Time to Die. He’s been in the mix alongside former Bond runner-up Henry Cavill, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy, as well as newer candidates like One Day’s Leo Woodall and other Netflix breakout stars such as Jonathan Bailey and Theo James . For the actor, there was also extra personal meaning for him being considered as James Bond as an openly gay man.
‘I was like, “Wow, this is like crazy that I’m on this list”,’ Evans told Out for the magazine’s September/October print issue cover profile. ‘I took stock that day and I thought, “People could see me as that role even being a gay man,” which I thought was great, and it means that we are progressing.’ If the role was offered to him today – and the decision must be due at some point soon after fans have endured a near three-year wait at.