In a recent interview, Avatar star Sam Worthington recalled how he could have played James Bond – if he hadn’t blown his audition.
Aussie actor Sam Worthington could have played James Bond… if only he hadn’t blown his audition. In a recent interview with Variety, the star recalled how he almost came close to playing the iconic spy after the success of James Cameron’s Avatar.
According to the actor, the team behind Bond was looking for their next face after the departure of Pierce Brosnan. Thanks to Avatar’s success, Worthington was in the running for the role, eventually ending up as one of the finalists.
He flew all the way to London to audition for the part, but when he was asked to replicate a scene from Sean Connery’s 1963 Bond film From Russia With Love, he couldn’t nail the nuances of the character.
“I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me. The suit did not fit,” he told Variety. “I had no idea what I was doing,” he admitted to feeling out of his depth.
The role eventually went to Daniel Craig, but Worthington wasn’t too upset about losing out. In fact, the actor claimed it made him appreciate how much the producers were willing to protect the source material.
Worthington also drew parallels between working with the Bond team and James Cameron, remarking how ‘detailed and meticulous’ the world-building and production has been on the multi-million dollar franchise.
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Claiming that the team had ‘done all the research,’ Worthington also praised Cameron’s dedication: “There’s nothing you can ask him that he doesn’t have an answer for.”
But Worthington’s celebration of the success of Avatar: The Way Of Water has been short-lived. With the third instalment of the series set to arrive in December 2024, filming for parts three and four is already well underway – the latter particularly so Jake and Neytiri’s children wouldn’t look too aged-up.
“We’ve filmed about 80 per cent, 90 per cent of three. We’re still owing some scenes,” Worthington provided. “And in [the fourth movie], we did a few scenes, because the kids were ageing out, so we have to do it before they get a bit older.”
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