Contrary to the 'Man of Steel' star's recollection that he was told too chubby to play 007, Martin Campbell says in a new interview that Cavill 'was too young' for the role.
- May 6, 2022
AceShowbiz - Before Daniel Craig became the longest-serving James Bond on cinema, Henry Cavill also eyed the coveted role. In fact, the "Man of Steel" actor also auditioned for "Casino Royale", but he didn't pass the test and Craig ended up succeeding Pierce Brosnan as the British spy agent. Now, "Casino Royale" helmer Martin Campbell has revealed the reason why Cavill lost the role to Craig.
"I did test him for Bond, as you know," Campbell confirmed Cavill's involvement in the auditions. Singing praise for the actor, he said, "He did a very good test," before explaining, "[but] he was too young, and also he wasn't as experienced as Daniel."
The filmmaker believed that they made the right decision by casting Craig in the part as he gushed, "Daniel just fitted the part from being a superb actor, and probably the best actor amongst them all."
Campbell, however, did note Cavill's improvement through the years. "He's better, with age and his experience. I loved him in ['Mission: Impossible – Fallout'], I thought he worked great with Tom Cruise," he said of the "Enola Holmes" star.
He continued singing praise for the 39-year-old, "He's always good with the physical stuff too. I remember on the ['Casino Royale'] test being very impressed with his ripping out phones and belting people. He was excellent at all of that, and he gave a very good performance too."
But Cavill apparently had different recollection of why he wasn't cast for "Casino Royale". He previously claimed that he was told too chubby to play 007. "It was his tough love way of saying, 'Look, mate, you're in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if it's for something like Bond,' " he said last year. "And I wasn't by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera."
