Just seven people have taken up the mantle of 007 over the years, but countless actors have auditioned for the role. Some of them are still in the running to be the next James Bond, after Daniel Craig stepped down in 2021.
While some have auditioned - and one actor has done so more than once - there are other Hollywood stars who were approached directly for the role and turned it down. One person on this list actually phoned his agent to demand the job, and was promptly shut down.
So here are 10 actors who almost became James Bond, and the reasons why they didn’t get the part.
![In 1981, Roger Moore left the James Bond franchise after For Your Eyes Only. Producer Albert R. Broccoli approached Gibson for the role, who like so many others turned it down. His reason? In his words: "Look what happened to poor Sean [Connery], he got stuck there for like three decades."](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/09/19/9/NUP_201618_00029R-Night-1.jpeg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=800)
9. Mel Gibson
In 1981, Roger Moore left the James Bond franchise after For Your Eyes Only. Producer Albert R. Broccoli approached Gibson for the role, who like so many others turned it down. His reason? In his words: "Look what happened to poor Sean [Connery], he got stuck there for like three decades." | Amazon
10. Sean Bean
The trope that Sean Bean dies in every film and TV show he's in probably wouldn't work with James Bond. But he auditioned for the role twice - being beaten on both occasions by Timothy Dalton, then Pierce Brosnan. But he still made it into a 007 movie, as villain Alec Trevalyan in the 1995 film GoldenEye. | EON