Brian Cox Says He Joined Reality Competition Show 007: ROAD TO A MILLION Because He Thought It Was the Next James Bond Movie

Actor Brian Cox is an Emmy-winner and Golden Globe-nominee, starring in over 200 roles in his career, and being made a next level star for his lead part in the series Succession over the past five years. Now he has taken on the role of host and master of ceremonies in the upcoming reality competition series, 007: Road to a Million, which watches “the show’s contestants as they go on a Bond-style race around the world in the hopes of winning a £1 million ($1.2 million) cash prize. Among the 007-inspired destinations they visit are the Scottish Highlands, Venice and Jamaica.”

Cox said in the trailer for the show, of the nine pairs of contestants, “I put real people into a James Bond adventure to win £1 million. The only thing standing in their way is me.”

So he gets the point of the show now, but that wasn’t exactly the case when he signed on to host. The actor appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last week, and he confessed that what he thought he was signing up for was the next James Bond film:

“I thought it was the new James Bond film. So I said, ‘Oh, finally they’re getting me in a James Bond movie. I thought, ‘Yes, of course!’

But to Cox’s disappointment, he quickly learned that “there was no script and there was no James Bond movie.” He added:

“For years, I thought, you know I would love to be in James Bond. It would be really interesting. And I thought this was my moment, but it wasn’t.”

Instead, he played the game controller and orchestrated the series’ challenges in 007: Road to a Million. The competition series follows nine pairs of everyday people who head out on a global adventure through several Bond-inspired challenges, for a chance at willing a cash prize.

Cox said of filming the series, “It was fun. You know, I love bossing people around, so that’s what I did.” He also added that it was “touching to see” one of the pairs on the show find a “new relationship in their marriage because suddenly they were able to trust one another after so many years.”

That’s too bad for Brian Cox! He got bamboozled. But it sounds like he made the most of it and still was able to have a good experience, despite not being in the Bond film he had anticipated.