Former Games of Thrones actor and Bodyguard star, who is on the short-list as the next James Bond, speaks about his chances to nab the role.
For the past several months, the question has been the same. Who will replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond? Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are three of the most popular names to emerge online. Though the final casting call still lies with the producer and Craig is technically signed on to do one final film, the appearance of Richard Madden on the horizon as a contender has made things somewhat interesting after weeks of familiarity.
As the actor made the cover of GQ Magazine for Jan/Feb 2019, turns out, it was his performance in TV series Bodyguard that put him on the short-list. His next role is an upcoming Elton John musical, Rocketman. But the buzz he picked up from Bodyguard not only led to critical acclaim but comparisons to the legendary once-Bond actor Sean Connery.
In fact, a British publication wondered if the actor is the next Bond contender. When asked about it by GQ, said Madden, “My first reaction is always the same reaction, which is the papers make up a story on a Sunday so they can discredit that story on the Monday so they can sell papers on both days.”
When asked that papers aren’t making Jonah Hill the next Bond, Madden retorted, “They aren’t, no, but this is what happens with all these shows, like Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager. Then there’s the next one. I’m the next one. Everyone just loves the rumour mill on that topic. I’m just the current one. There’ll be a different one next week.”
However, the actor also said that he is flattered and wouldn’t rule out the role if it came to him. “Lovely. I’m more than flattered to be mentioned, for people to consider putting me in that role. I’m very flattered and thankful. It’s a really brilliant thing to be in. I don’t want to curse anything by saying anything. I think that’s the curse of that. If you talk about it, you’ll curse it.”
He admits he is a Bond fan and has read all the books and seen all the films from his early teens.
GQ asked his former Games of Thrones co-star Kit Harington whether Madden should be James Bond?
Kit Harrington noted, “I don’t want to curse him. Any time anyone starts to get rumoured for Bond, it becomes a curse on them. And the reason I don’t want to do that is that I actually do think he would make a very good Bond. He’s got this natural charm. He’s proven with Bodyguard that he has that muscle for it. And wouldn’t it be nice to go back to a Scottish Bond?”
– With information from GQ.com
