‘I’d almost be quite frightened to try’: Even rumored front-runners feel daunted by the prospect of auditioning for James Bond

One of the most coveted roles in all of cinema is up for grabs once again, so it was natural that every single semi-recognizable British actor of a certain age would find themselves linked to the part of James Bond at least once, with Harris Dickinson a name that comes up more often than not.

On paper, he certainly ticks all of the boxes required to vacate the tux left ready for dry cleaning by Daniel Craig when he bowed out in literally explosive fashion at the end of No Time to Die; Dickinson is 27 years old, boasts a jawline that could cut glass, has proven his dramatic chops in the likes of Where the Crawdads Sing and Triangle of Sadness, while he’s even got experience in the blockbuster espionage arena thanks to Matthew Vaughn’s prequel The King’s Man.

Does that mean he would be interested, though? Well, in an interview with Total Film, Dickinson didn’t say he wasn’t not interested in becoming the next iteration of 007, but he did admit the mere prospect is daunting enough in and of itself.

“I mean, listen, man, you’d be a fool to not entertain that role. I’m loving seeing the development of James Bond and seeing how it changes over the years. I think Daniel Craig was such a good Bond that I’d almost be quite frightened to try. Who knows what they’re doing with Bond? I’m intrigued.”

It’ll be a while before Eon Production announces the identity of the next Bond, but Dickinson is already a dark horse favorite among many supporters of the long-running spy series, so don’t discount his chances by any means just yet.