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While his breakthrough filmChopperwas a slow-burn success, it did bring Hollywood’s focus to Aussie star Eric Bana, who went on to join forces with several major auteurs in the following years. From leading Ridley Scott’sBlack Hawk Downand later headlining Ang Lee’sHulk, the actor soon cemented himself as a prominent force in the realm of showbiz.
Moreover, the actor has also been in the forefront when it comes to Bond fan castings and per reports, he was also one of the major frontrunners to replace Pierce Brosnan. Although there’s no way of knowing if these reports were true or not, even if he was offered the iconic gig, it’s pretty evident that the actor would’ve passed on it.
Eric Bana Detailed Why He Was Always Against Playing James Bond
Although getting the gig of 007 is a dream come true for most actors,Eric Banawas never enticed by it, despite bearing the charisma and appearance to nail 007. Expanding on his reasoning, theTroystar stressed his uneasiness with fame was the major factor why he never wanted the gig in the first place.
He told theIndependent:
I wouldn’t have wanted to be James Bond. It would have been too much fame for my head… I’m largely able to do whatever the hell I want, whenever I want. It would have been a great loss.
Moreover, the actor, who initially excelled at comedy back in his hometown, was happy with his life pre-Hollywood and would’ve been happy to continue leading that life had his Hollywood goals failed.
I knew if it didn’t work out, it was back to doing whatever I was doing, which I was happy with.
Although the actor himself was never enthralled by the idea of headlining one of the most iconic franchises in film history, he did help convince one of the best Bond actors to take the gig.
Eric Bana and Steven Spielberg Pushed Daniel Craig To Play James Bond
It’s largely known thatDaniel Craigwas initially against committing to the Bond IP, even though his role inMunichmade him the perfect fit for the part in the eyes of Martin Campbell. However, hisMunichcostar Eric Bana and directorSteven Spielberg, who has been a major James Bond fan for decades, pushed theCasino Royalestar to give this a shot.
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Recounting how the actor was offered the gig on the set ofMunich, Bana recalled (viaVanity Fair):
Steven and I were getting in his ear like, ‘Dude, you have to play James Bond. There’s a scene in Munich where Daniel and I are storming a private villa in the middle of the night. It was right at the point where Daniel had to make a decision about whether he was gonna play Bond or not… Steven got a Bluetooth speaker out and on ‘Action!’ he played the Bond theme during the take.
We climb the fence to the James Bond theme, came through the bushes, and were running down the road whilst the music was playing. Then [Steven] yelled ‘Cut!’ and Daniel was like, ‘You b-stard! What are you doing?!’ It was so much. It was a good challenge trying to keep a straight face.
Eventually, Spielberg’sadvice,“If the script’s right and if the deal’s right, do the job”pushed Craig to give it a shot. Even though Craig wanted to dislike the script, the actor recalled being genuinely impressed by the material, which was a departure from past Bond flicks, and the rest is history.
“Oh God No”: Even James Bond Daniel Craig Ran Away For His Life After Accidentally Breaking 6 ft 6 in Tall Dave Bautista’s Nose
Casino Royaleis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Munichis available to stream on Netflix.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2540
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
