How Henry Cavill Almost Became James Bond Director Martin Campbell Spills the Beans

Henry Cavill may be best known for playing Superman in the DC Extended Universe, but he could have been another iconic hero: James Bond. The British actor auditioned for the role of 007 in 2,005, when he was only 22 years old, but lost out to Daniel Craig, who was 38 at the time. The director of Casino Royale, Martin Campbell, recently revealed that Cavill gave a “tremendous” audition and praised his acting skills, physical appearance, and charisma. He told The Daily Express that Cavill “looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape…very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.” Campbell explained that the casting process for Bond was very democratic and required unanimous agreement from all the decision-makers involved. He said that they auditioned eight people for the role and discussed each one of them around a table. He