Jacob Elordi and Callum Turner aren't ideal James Bond picks, says former casting director
LONDON, ENGLAND: Veteran James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has weighed in on the search for the franchise's next 007, stating that actors Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner and Harris Dickinson should not be cast as the iconic spy.
As Amazon officially began casting for the next Bond film last month under director Denis Villeneuve to replace actor Daniel Craig as the iconic super-spy, she believes the role should go to an unknown actor who remains an enigma both on and off screen.
Debbie McWilliams believes James Bond needs mystery, not familiar faces
McWilliams, who served as the James Bond franchise's casting director for 40 years, beginning with 1981's 'For Your Eyes Only' through 2021's 'No Time to Die,' said she does not want to see Elordi, Turner or Dickinson cast as the next 007.
She was responsible for casting actors Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, who retired before Amazon acquired the Bond franchise. The search for the next Bond actor is now being led by casting director Nina Gold alongside Villeneuve.
"I don't want to see any of them as James Bond," McWilliams told The Independent about them, whose names continue to circulate as Amazon's search moves forward.
"It is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma," she explained, adding, "I don't want to see any of them as Bond because we now know so much about them. We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that's what spies are."
She continued, "We don't need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He's licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don't, then you've lost the audience."
McWilliams also reflected on the actors she previously helped cast, "Timothy and Pierce weren't particularly well known. Daniel had had a career in independent films and a fairly colorful romantic life beforehand, but he wasn't a household name, and that helps enormously. I want to see somebody who is completely out of the blue."
She also said Bond should remain a man because "it's how Ian Fleming wrote it. Why would you want to change that? They haven't changed Harry Potter to Alice Potter or to a different ethnicity. That's how it was written and that's how it should remain, I believe."
Callum Turner responds to James Bond rumors as casting underway
Amazon confirmed in May that the search for the new Bond actor was officially underway, adding, "While we don't plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we're excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right."
Among the names linked to the role is actor Patrick Partridge, who recently admitted he never imagined being considered for Bond. Asked whether he had pictured himself in the conversation to play 007, he said, "No, no. Not yet at least. But that's something to keep in mind."
Variety London Bureau Chief Alex Ritman reported in April that Partridge is among several actors under consideration, aligning with industry speculation that Amazon MGM Studios is seeking a "fresh-faced" British Bond.
Turner has also continued to be linked with the role. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, June 10, the 36-year-old London-born actor said he knows nothing about Amazon MGM's casting plans despite years of speculation.
"I know as much as you do — really, I know as much as you do," Turner said when asked about the rumors. Laughing when questioned about whether he wants the role, he replied, "I'm not going to comment on that."
He continued, "I'll tell you what's so funny about the Bond thing: Even your best friends ask you, people text you that you haven't spoken to for 10 years — and you know nothing! It's such a weird thing of something happening and nothing happening at all. I genuinely know nothing. I just find it quite amusing."
