Michael Fassbender says he blew his James Bond audition – by recommending Daniel Craig
Michael Fassbender said he thinks "it's over" for him as a potential Bond. Fassbender said he blew any chance he might have had of playing 007 when he recommended another actor for the iconic role – Daniel Craig.
(CNN) — Michael Fassbender blew any chance he might have had of playing 007 when he recommended another actor for the iconic role – Daniel Craig.
Speaking on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, released Thursday, the Irish actor recalled meeting with James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and auditioning for the role. During the meeting, Fassbender dropped Craig’s name into conversation.
“I don’t know why I was promoting him, I should have been promoting myself,” he joked, though he also told podcast host Josh Horowitz that he never really believed himself to be “in the mix” for the part.
Craig, who went on to make his debut as the MI6 spy in “Casino Royale” in 2006, became the face of the Bond franchise for five films.
“Obviously, Daniel did a fantastic job,” said Fassbender, adding that he thinks Craig “went on to be the most successful Bond in history.”
The “Inglourious Basterds” and “12 Years a Slave” star admitted that auditions haven’t always been his strong suit. “I was terrible at auditions,” he said of his Bond experience.
Sharing another flashback to an audition gone wrong, Fassbender said he got lost on his way to an audition for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” After arriving an hour late, he was “not in the correct headspace” and described an “excruciating” audition. The lead role ultimately went to Tom Hardy, who was two years below Fassbender in drama school.
Asked if he thought there was any prospect of his playing Bond in the future, Fassbender was downbeat. “I think it’s over,” he said.
But he didn’t hesitate to make another recommendation for who could be next at the wheel of the famous Aston Martin, suggesting his “Black Bag” co-star and “Bridgerton” actor Regé-Jean Page could be a “frontrunner” for the role.
Fassbender still gets to be a spy, though, starring alongside Page and Cate Blanchett in “Black Bag,” in which he plays a secret agent.
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