Henry Cavill’s James Bond Audition Was "Tremendous" and "If Daniel Craig Didn’t Exist" He Would Have Landed the Role

Henry Cavill would have made an amazing James Bond, and as most of you already know, he actually auditioned for the role in director Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale. Daniel Craig ultimately landed the role, but if Craig didn’t exist, the role would’ve gone to Cavill.

Campbell recently talked about Henry Cavill’s James Bond audition back in 2005 during an interview with The Daily Express. Campbell had nothing but praise for Cavill’s audition, calling it "tremendous," but at the time the director felt he was just too young at 23 to step into the role of the iconic secret agent. Campbell said:

"He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiselled. He just looked a little young at that time back then."

Campbell went on to talk about the "democratic" process behind deciding who gets to play the next James Bond saying:

"You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself and the producers, casting director etc etc. And you go through the eight people and you put your hand up as you talk through each person and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision.”

With Craig’s departure from the franchise, this is a process that is going to have to happen again very soon. Does Cavill have a shot at doing it now? Probably not as Campbell thinks he’s too old not.

"Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”

Cavill previously talked about his audition while a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, saying:

"They told me it was ultimately down to, and this is what I've been told, it was just down to me and Daniel, and I was the younger option. I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel. I think Daniel did an incredible job over the past movies."

Craig did do an awesome job in the role, and while it’s a little disappointing that Cavill will never play Bond, he is set to play a Bond-like character in Guy Ritchie’s Argyle.

Argylle follows a super-spy played by Cavill whose job takes him across the U.S., London and other exotic locations. Vaughan previously said of the film: “When I read this early draft manuscript I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s books of the ’50s.”