James Bond casting director on what she’s looking for in the next Bond

After a series of delays, No Time To Die — Daniel Craig’s final movie as James Bond — opens next month. But possibly even more hotly anticipated than the new movie is the search for a new actor to fill out Bond’s tuxedo. How do you decide who to cast in such an iconic role? Debbie McWilliams, who’s been casting Bond movies since 1981, is the one to ask.

“It’s somebody who can hold their own, who is attractive, physical, capable of taking on not just the part but all the razzmatazz that goes with it,” McWilliams told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s quite a tall order and it can live on with somebody for long after they’ve played the part, although I think it’s not so defining now as it used to be. I think some people got very much stuck with it and others have managed, particularly if they’ve chosen good projects other than Bond, where they’re seen as just a very good actor rather than just being James Bond.”

Naturally, the screening process for a new Bond is rigorous, and lasts quite a long time. “Lots of people are considered and then rejected for one reason or another,” McWilliams said. “Then it comes down to two or three choices and those people usually have to do a screen test, they have to do a stunt assessment, and they have to meet everybody. It’s a committee decision between the producers, the studio, and the director, but it’s usually very much down to the Broccoli family [who run Eon Productions, the company that produces the James Bond film series]. They’re pretty much in control. But I don’t think they’ve ever cast someone who the studio absolutely didn’t want them to cast. It’s not something that happens overnight, shall we say.”

The reaction to casting Daniel Craig as James Bond was “unbelievably negative”

It’s going to be difficult, especially now that there are so many eyes on the process — when Daniel Craig was cast ahead of 2006’s Casino Royale, social media wasn’t as popular as it is now, and people were still incredibly upset that a studio would dare cast a James Bond with blonde hair.

“It was unbelievably negative, I have to say,” McWilliams said. “The press response was awful and I felt so sorry for him, but in a funny kind of a way I think it almost spurred him on to do his damndest to prove everybody wrong. The whole way through the film, stuff would come out about he couldn’t walk and talk, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t drive a car properly, so much stuff which was completely and utterly untrue. And he just kept his head down, got on with the job, and then the film came out and everybody went, ‘Oh wow, I think we quite like him after all.’ He’s going to be a tough act to follow.”

Clearly, McWilliams has her work cut out for her. “It’s going to be very, very hard I must say [to cast the next one].”

Daniel Craig tears up as he bids goodbye to James Bond crew

But whoever McWilliams and co choose, hopefully people will come around like they did with Craig, who fans now love in the role. And he seems to give the love right back, as you can see in this video where he seems to tear up after he wraps on No Time To Die:

Naturally, this was filmed in 2019, before the delays set in. It’s like time travel.

No Time To Die (finally) comes out on October 8.

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