Henry Golding Calls James Bond Role “Every Actor’s Kind Of Nightmare,” Would Be Open To It Without “Overhanging Cultural Pressure”

Ever since the release of “Spectre,” which looked like the last James Bond outing for Daniel Craig, there has been a steady stream of would-be replacements, with “The Old Guard 2,” “Another Simple Favor,” and “Nine Perfect Strangers” actor Henry Golding once being a fan-favorite to be considered for the reboot.

However, despite that call from folks online that loved seeing the British actor in projects like “Crazy Rich Asians” to don the tuxudo, Golding is out promoting his new Netflix sequel “The Old Guard 2” and got candid with People Magazine when the topic moved toward his thoughts on becoming the next James Bond.

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“I think that’s every actor’s kind of nightmare,” Golding told People when directly asked about his desire to be cast as 007 at the red carpet premiere of “The Old Guard 2” in Los Angeles. “But at the same time, [you’re] also wanting to kind of add something new to a franchise,” he continued. “Why can’t they bring out more agents or more OO’s? I think that would be so much more fun, because there just isn’t the restraints and the expectation.” Still, Golding suggests he just might be too scared for the part, “Maybe I’m just a p***y. I don’t know. But I think I would love it so much more if there wasn’t that overhanging cultural pressure.”

Golding isn’t without his action credits, working with Guy Ritchie in the WWII action-comedy “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” (after working with him on the gangster flick “The Gentlemen“) and led Paramount‘s “Snake Eyes,” an origin tale about the ninja member of the “G.I. Joe” franchise in an attempt to soft-reboot the character.

If the recent shortlist for Denis Villleneuve‘s “Bond 26” is any indicator, Amazon MGM Studios seems very interested in fellas on the cusp of turning 30, with actors Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”), Harris Dickinson (“The King’s Man,” “Triangle of Sadness”), and Tom Holland named as hopefuls. Then again, we should be a tad cautious about rumored actors as we’ve seen plenty of names claimed as frontrunners only to mysteriously vanish. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is one of those recent names that was looking like the chap, but then suddenly wasn’t.

British actors might have a better grasp of what it means to be an actor selected or in the mix to play the fictional spy, and this apprehensive sentiment from Golding is nothing new. Other actors that the internet wanted to see play James Bond, such as Idris Elba and Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya, have downplayed their interest.

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It wasn’t a cake walk for Craig. His casting wasn’t without crazed reactions, as the British press attacked the newly announced Bond, questioning his looks and sex appeal, only for that narrative to be shut down with set photos from “Casino Royale” that spotlighted the ripped actor walking out of the ocean during a scene shot in the Bahamas. That said, the tough productions left a toll on Craig (plenty of injuries alongside that negative press) as he was widely quoted saying he’d rather “slit his wrists” than return for what would end up becoming “No Time To Die.”

There is certainly a level of pressure to playing James Bond, and it doesn’t only come from audiences and critics; we’ll have to wait to see who is ready to jump into that craziness.