Westworld: Jeffrey Wright on playing Felix Leiter in Casino Royale

Before Westworld, Jeffrey Wright was in the James Bond movie, Casino Royale–and it was a role he couldn’t be more proud of.

Westworld is a big part of Jeffrey Wright’s career, but before he stepped into the world of glitches, hosts, and multiple timelines, he was in a James Bond movie in 2006. Yes, that’s right. For those of you who didn’t know, Wright was in Casino Royale.

In an episode of Entertainment Weekly’s Couch Surfing, Wright spoke about how excited he was to be a part of the iconic franchise. He got a call from his agent about the potential role stating that the Bond people wanted him to be in the next film.

However, the agent simply mentioned that the role was for CIA agent, and being a long-time fan, Wright knew exactly who he meant–Felix Leiter. He couldn’t believe that this was the role that was being offered to him, and his excitement was at an all-time high as a result.

The original actor that played the character of Felix Leiter in Doctor No was Jack Lord, someone that Wright is absolutely smitten over. Check out his interview below!

"“For me outside of Muhammad Ali and Miles Davis, Jack Lord, the Felix Leiter I knew, was one of the baddest motherf—kers in the whole space. Jack Lord was it.”"

Apart from Westworld and Casino Royale, Wright has been in a number of critically-acclaimed movies and television shows including HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, The Hunger Games franchise, and Netflix’s Hold The Dark.

Wright’s journey to stardom has been difficult but full of inspiration and hard work, and it’s been quite the journey thus far. Coming up, Wright will be seen in the big screen adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel, The Goldfinch, starring Sarah Paulson and Nicole Kidman.

Did you catch Jeffrey Wright in the Casino Royale movie? Share your comments below or on our Twitter, @BeyondWestworld.