Matthew Goode “Didn’t Get” To Audition For James Bond After Sharing “Really Dark” Take On Role

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As the 007 franchise has moved away from its more misogynist roots, Matthew Goode wanted to go in another direction.

The Emmy nominee recently explained why he “didn’t get” a chance to audition for the coveted role of MI6 agent James Bond after sharing his vision for the character with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli ahead of the 2006 refresh Casino Royale.

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“I didn’t audition. I went in and met Barbara,” he recalled on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I didn’t get to the audition, but it was quite a funny one because — and she’s gorgeous and just a lovely, lovely person.”

Goode added, “She was like, ‘So what’s your idea for Bond?’ And I was like, ‘My idea for Bond, we’ve gotta take it back to the books, you know? Really, we absolutely have to make this guy an alcoholic, a drug addict. He hates himself. He hates women. He hates a lot of people. He’s in deep pain. He’s brilliant at killing people.’

“I think by the end of the interview, she was like, ‘Mhmm. Next.’ Because I wanted to make it really dark… but what I should have said was, ‘But also incredibly charming,'” said Goode.

As the actor noted, “Ultimately, you know, what they did get was Daniel Craig.”

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Craig took over the iconic role in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). Following previous Bond stars Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, Craig’s successor has not yet been chosen.

This week, Amazon MGM Studios officially tapped Denis Villeneuve to direct the next installment amid the studio’s new 007 partnership with returning producers Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Tanya Lapointe will executive produce.

After announcing that Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce the next film in the franchise, Amazon MGM’s Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll said at CinemaCon in April that the pair of “filmmaking legends” is currently in London working on the film.

“We are committed to honoring the legacy of this iconic character, while bringing a fresh, exhilarating new chapter to audiences around the world alongside Amy and David,” said Valenti, head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical. “They are both in London getting started and couldn’t be here tonight, but we wanted to thank them for what we know will be an incredible partnership. Thank you, Amy and David!”

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