James Bond Casting Director: Younger Actors Have Lacked the ‘Gravitas’ and ‘Mental Capacity’ to Play 007

A new James Bond is on the way following Daniel Craigs exit in No Time to Die. While rumors circulated last year that a younger actor was being courted and that the age of 007 would decrease considerably from Craigs era, such claims were squashed by franchise producer Michael G. Wilson. He assured fans the new Bond would a 30-something actor, keeping with Craigs age range when he started his run as 007 in 2006s Casino Royale.

In a new interview with Radio Times, longtime James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams explained why younger actors usually dont fit when it comes to finding a new James Bond.

When we started, it was a slightly different feel, McWilliams said about the last search for a new 007 that ended with Craigs selection.We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just dont think they had the gravitas. They didnt have the experience, they didnt have the mental capacity to take it on, because its not just the part theyre taking on, its a massive responsibility.

McWilliams added, So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again.

The team settled on Craig, who was in his 30s at the time. The decision did not receive unanimous praise. As McWilliams toldEntertainment Weeklyback in 2021, she felt sorry for Craig after his casting led to extreme blowback from press who thought Craig didnt fit the part of Bond.

It was unbelievably negative, I have to say, McWilliams said about the reaction to Craigs casting. The press response was awful and I felt so sorry for him, but in a funny kind of a way I think it almost spurred him on to do his damndest to prove everybody wrong.

The whole way through the film, stuff would come out about [how] he couldnt walk and talk, he couldnt run, he couldnt drive a car properly, so much stuff which was completely and utterly untrue, she continued. And he just kept his head down, got on with the job and then the film came out and everybody went, Oh wow, I think we quite like him after all.

Craig went on to star in a total of five James Bond movies. The search for his replacement will begin at some point this year, producers Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have said repeatedly.

When people go, Oh, who are you going to get? its not just about casting an actor for a film, Broccoli told Variety last year. Its about a reinvention, and Where are we taking it? What do we want to do with the character? And then, once we figure that out, whos the right person for that particular reinvention?

In her Radio Times interview, McWilliams pointed out that most James Bond actors are relatively unknown on a mainstream film level when they are cast.

Timothy Dalton was known, but he was known as a Shakespearean actor, really, McWilliams said. Pierce [Brosnan] was known, but that was basically from television. Roger Moore was known from television. Sean Connery wasnt [known] nobody had ever heard of him. A certain audience had heard of Daniel Craig, but much more the kind of independent cinema audience. He hadnt done any huge commercial film at all, really [2004 film] Layer Cake I suppose was the most popular, should we say, of the things he had done prior to Bond, but he wasnt a hugely well-known actor.

It appears that James Bond fans can expect a relatively unknown male in his 30s to take over the 007 role.