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Cary Grant
As Bond Producer Cubby Brocolli's best man, people were rather surprised when Hollywood idol Cary Grant turned down the offer to play Bond in 1961's Dr. No. Since he'd had an English upbringing and only became a U.S. citizen in 1942, many thought he could soften the blow of a possibly American James Bond but it turns out Grant thought that he was too old to play the role at 58 years of age. This age issue was also what made this only a one-film deal. The man went on to be replaced by Sean Connery (one of the franchise's most well-received Bonds ever) but rumour has it that several studio executives objected to this replacement. In fact, even author Ian Fleming said that Connery 'wasn't exactly what I had in mind.'
Richard Burton
Probably better known as Mr. Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton might have won back some of his pride from the utterly emasculating nickname if only he'd said yes to the role one of the three times Bond producers approached him in 1959, 1961 and 1968. It was at Fleming's persistent behest that he was approached so frequently. Fleming apparently wrote to Bryce saying, "Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond,” when they were working on turning his books into silver screen gold. However Burton turned it down thinking it was going to be 'just another movie.' He didn't even think spy movies might be successful even though ironically, one of his biggest breaks came from a 1965 film titled The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
Burt Reynolds
He had no qualms in speaking his mind, this man, and so when he was approached to take on the gargantuan spy role he turned it down with a nonchalant ,"An American can't play James Bond. It just can't be done." Luckily for him, Deliverance was just around the corner and he was soon to be catapulted to the big league anyway. Still, it's rather sad he turned it down because we're inclined to think Reynolds would have made one fantastic 007 agent.
Clint Eastwood
Yet another Hollywood veteran who would have absolutely hit the role of Bond right out of the ball park, Eastwood too was offered the coveted role in 1967 when Connery walked out because he feared getting typecast. At the time, Eastwood hadn't even emerged as a major player in Hollywood so with such good money on offer many wondered why he made the odd decision to decline. His logic was simple enough though. "To me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal. It didn’t feel right for me to be doing it.’ Once he turned it down, the role was offered to Australian actor, George Lazenby who appeared in Your Majesty's Secret Service but suffered a short innings due to his mocked wooden acting. Incidentally, Eastwood too belonged to the school of though that Bond should be British.
Liam Neeson
And with Neeson begins the spate of more recent actors who turned down this iconic role. When he was approached in 1994, he offered the strangest reason in decline—he wasn't interested in starring in action films at the time. Irronic coming from one of the biggest cult action stars post Taken today. However, Neeson maintains that this isn't exactly how it all went down. Remaining fairly tight-lipped about it all he simply said “I was approached very heavily, but wasn’t really interested,” he explains. “It seems to have lodged in British journalists’ mind that I was offered Bond and I turned it down, which was not the case. I was being seen for it, and quite seriously seen for it, but so were a bunch of other actors, too. And I was actually very glad Pierce (Brosnan) got it, because he’s a friend and I thought he was wonderful as Bond.”
Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell as Bond struck us as a bit of an odd choice for the suave British agent role but he too was approached by Bond producers in 2004. He was not satisfied with the plot direction for one thing and he also didn't feel as though audiences wanted to see him as James Bond. Eventually, he was replaced by current Bond sensation, Daniel Craig. We tend to agree with his decision though because the kind of roles he ended up choosing seem far better suited to him than that of James Bond. His tattooed body and trucker good looks would hardly do the sophisticated agent thing justice.
Gerard Butler
Butler too, with his washboard abs and fine British accent, seemed a suitable choice and was reportedly offered the role of James Bond in Casino Royale. He turned it down because he was afraid of being typecast by the role and saw it as as something that might entirely ruin his career as an actor. Replaced by Daniel Craig who's been fairly well received as the 007 agent with more than nine lives, perhaps all has turned out how it ought to have.
You would think that adding James Bond to your acting resume would be on the top of the bucket list for any Hollywood lothario. Well it’s not the case. Here are seven actors who turned down the role of 007.
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