Henry Cavill Came Close to Daniel Craig’s James Bond Role but Was Considered ‘Too Young,’ Says Argylle Director

Argylle director Matthew Vaughn revealed Henry Cavill was almost James Bond in the early 2000s.

Vaughn shared during a recent SiriusXM interview that the Man of Steel actor, 40, had been one of the finalists to take over as the iconic 007 from Pierce Brosnan — a role that eventually went to Daniel Craig.

“When Henry was auditioning for Bond, I was at Pinewood, right? And Daniel was as well at the same time. I’d go off and meet with Daniel and [I’d] say what’s going on, and he said there’s this young guy, Henry Cavill I think they’re seeing as well [for the auditions],” Vaughn shared.

“It got down to the last two for Bond… And I know that the director preferred your audition. But [producer] Barbara [Broccoli] preferred [Craig],” Vaughn told Cavill. “So, just so you know, and they decided you were too young.”

While Cavill stayed mum on all things related to James Bond, he did note that he thought Craig “did an amazing job” with his iteration of the popular spy character, which began with 2006’s Casino Royale.

“He and everyone else involved breathed new life into the franchise, which did it wonders,” the actor added.

Cavill, who plays a suave spy character similar to James Bond in his new film Argylle, also said that he didn’t think his new film would affect his chances at going for the popular spy character again.

Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill in ‘Argylle.’.PETER MOUNTAIN/APPLE TV+

“Whether I’m ruled out of Bond because of this or not is up to Barbara Broccoli and [producer] Mr. Wilson,” Cavill told Games Radar.

The Witcher actor previously shared the story of his failed screen test for the lead role in 2006’s Casino Royale in an interview with Men’s Health in 2019. “I probably could have prepared better,” he said at the time.

“I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry,’ ” he recalled. “I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something, because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”

A year later, he told GQ that he would jump at the chance to play Bond again after missing out on the role to Craig over a decade ago.

“If [they] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity,” Cavill said. “At this stage, it’s all up in the air. We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting.”