Michael Fassbender Reveals He Was Pushed into Promoting Daniel Craig for James Bond Role

by

Michael Fassbender has been a significant part of major film franchises, such as portraying one version of Magneto in Fox’s X-Men movies and playing a pivotal role in Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels as the android David. He might have boosted his action roles portfolio if he had landed the part of the mysterious character, James Bond, in Casino Royale, but surprisingly, when he competed for the role, he seemed more focused on advocating for Daniel Craig to take it instead of himself.

Typically, the position of James Bond is not frequently filled – usually once per decade or so. An actor chosen for this role generally remains in it for a significant period, ranging from 10 to 15 years or longer. Consequently, any potential candidate has just one opportunity to prove their worth for the role, a fact that Michael Fassbender is familiar with. He recently expressed this during an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

I happened to cross paths with Barbara Broccoli, and we had an encounter where I auditioned for a role before Daniel Craig was chosen. However, I don’t believe I was seriously considered for the part. Yet, I recall entering that room and meeting both her and Michael G. Wilson, and surprisingly, I found myself advocating for Daniel Craig instead of myself.

Michael Fassbender Says He is Terrible at Auditions

Michael Fassbender has secured significant roles throughout his acting career, yet there have been opportunities he missed out on as well. This experience has led him to ponder if perhaps he struggles during auditions. In a subsequent part of the interview, he confessed that an opportunity in the film “Mad Max: Fury Road” was lost due to his tardiness, stating further:

To summarize my previous statement, I wasn’t good at auditions, and Daniel Craig turned out to be an exceptional choice as Bond, arguably the most successful in the franchise. However, there was no further conversation with me after that.

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit that Michael Fassbender is not vying for the iconic role of Bond this time. Yet, the intriguing question arises: who among us is worthy to embody the world’s most enigmatic and discussed secret agent? With Amazon MGM Studios now steering the creative direction of the James Bond franchise, it seems that anyone from Henry Cavill to Timmy the Tortoise might be a contender. In retrospect, perhaps Fassbender should have reconsidered his decision to pass on this opportunity.

Read More

2025-03-14 14:04