“They needed to become grittier and real.” Hugh Jackman brutally honestly explained why he turned down the role of James Bond in Casino Royale
Hugh Jackman brutally summed up the James Bond films, explaining why he did not accept an offer to play Agent 007.
Daniel Craig is regarded as the ideal modern-day James Bond. The films starring him redefined the series and set a new direction for the adventures of Agent 007, however, his era has come to an end. With the film No Time To Die, Craig ended his James Bond adventure. It is possible, however, that he would not have started it at all if Hugh Jackman had accepted an offer to play him in Casino Royale.
Jackman confessed during an interview with Variety that he was offered the role of Agent 007 when they were looking for a player for the role for Casino Royale. The actor, however, was not interested in becoming James Bond, even though it would have been a dream come true for many other artists. Jackman, however, was unconvinced by the way the previous Bond films looked. Besides, he feared that through the role and appearances in the X-Men movies, he would not have time for other things.
I was about to do X-Men 2 and a call came from my agent asking if I’d be interested in Bond. I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real. And the response was: “Oh, you don’t get a say. You just have to sign on.” I was also worried that between Bond and X-Men, I’d never have time to do different things.
The actor criticized earlier installments of Agent 007's adventures, noting that they were becoming less and less believable and crazy, which did not appeal to him at all. He felt that Bond needed a change.
Although the role did not go to Jackman, the Bond films became “grittier and real” according to his wishes. Jackman, however, preferred not to be pigeonholed, which he was in danger of doing after his role as Wolverine alone. With Bond to the set, it would have been even worse, and the actor was keen to showcase his talents in completely different roles as well, so off-screen he also performed on stage, taking on musicals as well.