Any actor who plays James Bond will inevitably spend the rest of their days being asked about not just their time playing the iconic role, but there thoughts on the present and future of the franchise.
As it turns out, that sentiment also extends to those who never even landed the gig in the first place, something Henry Cavill knows all too well having spent the last decade and half fielding 007-related lines of inquiry in spite of missing out on Casino Royale.
Mel Gibson is another one known to reflect on their opportunity to potentially embody one of the most coveted roles in all of cinema, with Sam Neill the latest addition to the list after he ruminated on screen-testing for the part all the way back in 1986 during an interview with The Telegraph.
“It was one rather excruciating moment in a long career but people keep asking me about the Bond thing. And I can only say I’m very glad I’m not an ex-Bond but I do have a couple of recommendations.”
The Jurassic Park veteran would then name Jack Lowden and Robert Collins as his two preferred candidates, although the field remains wide open as Amazon continues putting the pieces together behind the scenes now that the company has acquired the rights following its takeover of MGM.
Neill would have made for a solid Bond in the right context, but Timothy Dalton happens to be the most underrated iteration there’s ever been, something that may not have happened considering Neill isn’t exactly distraught that he missed out on what could have been a career-definer.