Jackman turns 57 on Oct. 12 and explains why he turned down the chance to play 007 before Daniel Craig’s iconic run and admits he may have missed out.
Hugh Jackman explains why he didn’t take the role of James Bond: “It’s not for me”
The saga over who will replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond continues to rumble on and on and on. Despite reports that Amazon, the new owners of the franchise, are looking for a ‘fresh’ 20-something to play the role, Aaron Taylor-Johnson remains the bookies’ favorite, while Theo James and Henry Cavill are among a host of other actors who have been linked. One man who did have the chance to play the British secret agent is Hugh Jackman, who revealed he ruled himself out of the running somewhat prematurely earlier in his career.
Speaking on The Howard Stern Show back in November 2018, “X-Men” star Jackman revealed that, before Craig was cast as 007 in 2006, he received a call asking whether he would be interested in playing Bond and went on to explain why he didn’t pursue it.
Dune's Denis Villeneuve has been tapped to direct the next James Bond film from Amazon MGM Studios.
— IGN (@IGN) June 26, 2025
"This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor." pic.twitter.com/DicNjIw4eW
Jackman called over Bond after “X-Men success”
“I got a call from my agent saying they were interested in me for Bond and they wanted to know if it’s something I’d be interested in. I took that to mean they don’t want to offer it to you in case you’re going to say ‘no’. They were canvassing six or seven people”.
At the time, Jackman had just had breakthrough mainstream success with “X-Men” in 2000 and had already signed up for “X-Men 2” in 2003.
“I actually rang Russell Crowe and got advice from him about it,” explained the Australian. “He said, ‘Make sure you know the direction it’s going in. If you say ‘yes’ to that and it works, you’ve got X-Men, Bond, X-Men, Bond, X-Men, Bond…you want to make sure you’re doing something you really love.”
The reason Hugh Jackman never become James Bond
Like now, Bond was in limbo following the end of the Pierce Brosnan era, which eventually led to a franchise reboot. Jackman, though, was unable to see what was coming next.
“I thought it needed a bit of a change. But they said, ‘No, no, you just sign on.’ So I thought, ‘it’s not for me’.
“In my head, I remember saying to my agent, ‘I feel it’s got to go back to being a little more Sean Connery. A little tougher’”.
Hindsight, of course, tells us that’s exactly how things played out, with Craig’s Bond becoming a roaring success, particularly at the box office. Jackman, who effectively eliminated himself from the running, was left wondering what might have been: “Then I go to see Casino Royale and I was like, ‘Oops’.
Jackman, of course, already made one character, Wolverine, his own. But the pull of Bond is strong, as is the need to get the right actor for the job. The wait goes on for Craig’s replacement, although it could quite easily have been Jackman who stepped into Bond’s shoes instead.
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