Charlie Hunnam is 40 years old, did you know that? I thought he was maybe in his early 30s? Anyway, Charlie has never really had the career that his fans wanted from him. He had all the stuff to be a major star, but a combination of a bad project-picker and perhaps some personal issues have led him here: talking about how he’d love to play James Bond. Casting gossip around 007 is like joining Fight Club – no actor is supposed to talk about it publicly. But considering No Time to Die is Daniel Craig’s last outing as Bond, maybe Hunnam is just trying to get his name out there.
The name’s Hunnam. Charlie Hunnam. While speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the release of his new film Jungleland, the 40-year-old actor opened up about future roles that he is interested in taking on and whether or not James Bond happens to be one of them. Asked if he would ever be open to donning Bond’s tuxedo someday in the future, the Sons of Anarchy star says, “100 percent.”
“I would be so flattered and honored to be considered to play James Bond as an Englishman,” he adds. “But my intuition tells me that I shouldn’t be waiting for that phone call to come. I think there are many people ahead of me on that list.”
The actor characterized any rumors of him portraying the ever-popular spy as “external chatter,” adding it is sweet that fans want to see him take on the role that several other actors before him have — including the late Sean Connery. “It’s very flattering sort of fan dialogue,” he says, before noting that there’s no truth to the rumors. “Nobody’s ever, on a professional level from within the industry, brought that up to me,” he explains.
Still, he encourages fans to keep associating his name with the role, as he says sometimes fans do play a role in helping to get actors cast to play certain characters. “As much as people want to talk about me playing James Bond, please continue,” he shares. “Maybe that’s the genesis of these things. Maybe fan chatter leads to industry people actually talking about it in a more serious way.”
Even if he doesn’t come to play Bond one day in the future, Hunnam does have an actor in mind that could take over the mantle from Daniel Craig, who said that the upcoming Bond flick, No Time to Die, will be his last. Hunnam tells PEOPLE Tom Hardy would make for a great spy. “The person that I hear about in that conversation is Tom Hardy,” the actor says. “I hear that he’s really the front runner [to play James Bond next]. I think that would be sensational. I’m an enormous Tom Hardy fan so I would love to see him as James Bond.”
We heard the Tom Hardy rumor back in September – apparently, Hardy is Barbara Broccoli’s top pick, although I’m not sure how much stock we should put into that rumor. Sure, I think Tom has the physicality for it, but I’m… just not sure. Charlie would actually be more of a traditional take on Bond, more in the Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan vein. And I honestly forget that Hunnam is English all the time.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
They really fumbled the bag not moving on to Idris Elba when they had the chance, when Daniel Craig was done with it for the first time.
Tom Hardy is great but he feels too close to Daniel Craig to me, I feel like their Bonds would end up being very similar and what’s the fun in that?
Just last weekend I watched a movie with Idris Elba and thought what an amazing Bond he could be.
Such a relief to see Charlie stepping up and repping himself and Tom Hardy – it would be a a real tragedy if we didn’t get another white guy Bond.
What about Charlize Theron? or Danae Gurira?
I would love to see either other those! But I suspect Barbara Broccoli has a no vaginas or melanin policy in casting. That’s their prerogative I suppose but if they are determined to stick with old school basic Brit bond, they may find the franchise is on the way out.
I am a longtime fan of his and I think he’s actually a good actor when you give him the right material. He would be a good James Bond because he could effectively convey being haunted by past mistakes/the toll of the job. He did that really well with Sons of Anarchy (until the story fell off the rails in about season 5). Jax was a man who was smart enough to know that what he was wrapped up in was wrong, but not smart enough to effectively get out of it. His character arc was all about a man fighting hard against the inexorable pull of fate and ultimately failing. It’s what made him captivating to watch. But unlike Daniel Craig, Charlie is beautiful and has that swagger-bravado thing. I wonder if they did cast him as Bond if he’d keep his Newcastle accent or switch to received pronunciation. It would be kind of neat to have a Northern Bond, Newcastle is a working-class area. Even though I like Charlie for the role, I hope that in the end they pick a Briton with Black or Pakistani or Middle Eastern heritage to play Bond next. It would be fascinating to have, say, a British-Pakistani Bond who is conflicted about his work because of the legacy of colonialism. It would add so much depth to the role.
THIS! I would love to see this kind of Bond movie, that doesn’t repeat the same things from the previous Bond movies.
I don’t really have an opinion on CH as Bond – I think he’s a great actor, but loved him as rough-around-the-edges Jax. Not sure I buy him as the elegant, prototypical English bond character, but maybe that’s because I don’t really want to. I like my CH dirty and scruffy and bringing the mayhem. 🤤
Henry. Golding. I wish they’d consider him. He’s young, he has British roots AND he’s a person of color. AND he looks damn good in a tux as seen in Crazy Rich Asians.
Oh yes, Henry Golding would be great!
And so would Idris Elba.
The only reason I’d not go along with Idris is due to age. He’s just too old for it now. Idris is 48 compared to Golding who is 33. Either way a man of color would be a nice switch up.
Oh good grief yes. That would be fantastic.
I liked Charlie in Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim but he isn’t the most charismatic actor sometimes. e.g., The Lost City of Z. I think he’s better off in indie roles because he doesn’t seem to have the explosive energy for an action role like Bond. It’s totally time to case a female one.
Also some of the stuff he’s said suggests he’s a bit prickly. e.g., Not calling his gf for months while filming and barely talking to Rob Pattinson. Guillermo del Toro says he’s the nicest guy but I’d steer clear of him if I ever had to work with him, based off what he’s said himself.
I’ve watched Pacific Rim a couple of times, including at the cinema (please don’t judge) and I cannot remember him being in it at all… I think I agree with the comment below that he’s best on TV. The City of Z thing totally underwhelmed me.
Does anyone else feel like Charlie Hunnan does much better on tv than in movies?
Every movie I’ve seen with him in it I feel like I’m watching him and not the character.
He also lacks energy in movie roles. And that accent! I’ve heard his accent slip through in every movie role he played.
I think she should have done that Fifty Shades of Grey just to load up with money…and he would have been better in that role than the male lead that got it