A legendary James Bond series veteran has delivered a blunt verdict as to why Australian actor Jacob Elordi should not be cast as the legendary spy.
Debbie McWilliams, who was the series casting director from 1981 – 2021 and chose both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig for the role, said that the Brisbane-born actor lacks a certain something crucial to the Bond character.
‘I don’t want him as James Bond. It is absolutely essential that Bond remains a total enigma,’ McWilliams recently told The Independent.
She said that Elordi’s extremely high-profile was at odds with the Bond character, who was meant to be a mystery to viewers.
‘I don’t want to see him as Bond because we know so much about him. We want to know as little about them personally as possible… that’s what spies are,’ she explained.
‘We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description.
A legendary James Bond series veteran has delivered a blunt verdict as to why Australian actor Jacob Elordi should not be cast as the legendary spy
‘He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.’
She added that the Bond actors she had cast had low public profiles prior to securing the role, which helped the audience accept them as a secret agent.
‘Timothy [Dalton] and Pierce weren’t particularly well known. Daniel had had a career in independent films and a fairly colourful romantic life beforehand, but he wasn’t a household name… that helps enormously,’ she said.
‘I want to see somebody completely out of the blue.’
Elordi has developed an extremely high-profile over the past few years thanks to his role on the hit HBO series Euphoria and his new romance with US reality TV star Kendall Jenner.
It follows reports that fans are more convinced than ever that Elordi is set to be announced as the new James Bond.
The Euphoria star stormed into the lead as favourite to replace Daniel Craig this year following his starring role in Wuthering Heights alongside Margot Robbie.
Now, a new cinematic Chanel ad appears to have stoked the rumours further, as the actor shows off his espionage skills in a new clip.
Debbie McWilliams, who was the series casting director from 1981 – 2021 and chose both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig for the role, said that the Brisbane-born actor lacks a certain something crucial to the Bond character
She said that Elordi’s extremely high-profile was at odds with the character of Bond, who was meant to be a completely mystery to viewers. (Pictured: Daniel Craig in the role)
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The promotional video sees Jacob looking debonair in a black suit and tie as he becomes the target of a masked burglar attempting to steal the latest Chanel product.
It begins with the Hollywood star opening a safe to remove a bottle of Bleu De Chanel L’Exclusif, but it’s quickly swiped by a beautiful woman in a lace mask.
Jacob then proceeds to chase the thief, with the pair showing off their acrobatic skills as they play a sultry game of cat and mouse to retrieve the fragrance.
Fans flocked online when the advert was released, with many believing it was a ‘soft launch’ for Jacob being announced as the new James Bond.
‘I think they’re preparing us for the James Bond announcement,’ one person wrote.
It comes after punters strongly backed Elordi to become the new face of the spy franchise.
The Wuthering Heights star was enjoying the successful release of Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of the iconic book, in which he stars as Heathcliff, in February.
And his surging popularity appeared to have impacted his odds at becoming the next James Bond.
Despite his odds for the role being at just 14/1 a week earlier, Elordi quickly became the favourite to replace Daniel Craig in the role for the next movie.
