The James Bond role didn’t work out for dozens of actors for many different reasons. Some are too unknown, others already too big names. Henry Cavill was first too young and then too old. And Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace star Liam Neeson simply wasn’t allowed to, despite a clear offer in the 90s. Because otherwise his wife would have called off the wedding.
Star Wars hero Liam Neeson decided against James Bond for his marriage
The anecdote was already told in 2021 on The Late Late Show with James Corden (quoted here by Cinemablend). Speaking to Rolling Stone, he reiterated:
[Bond-Produzentin] Barbara Broccoli called me several times to ask if I was interested. I said yes. And then my dear wife said [Natasha Richardson] to me, just as we’re shooting Nell in the Bahamas: “If you play James Bond, we won’t get married.”
Check out Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I here:
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace – New Trailer (German) HD
Neeson does not give precise reasons for his wife’s dislike, but suspects that the reason is the “entire beautiful girls living in diverse countries [mit James Bond] get into bed“ been. Neeson understandably turned down the role, but allowed himself some banter with his wife’s dislike: “I stood behind her, formed a gun with my fingers, and hummed the James Bond tune. I loved that crap!“
In the end, Pierce Brosnan got the part and embodied 007 in at least four films. Neeson, who was considered for the James Bond appearance in particular because of his Schindler’s List fame, still achieved his action honors thanks to the 96 Hours series.
The 10 biggest streaming films of 2023 on Netflix, Amazon & Co.
In this installment of our Moviepilot podcast, Stream Browsing, we take a look at the big movies coming exclusively to Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Apple TV+ this year. The result is a list of ten special recommendations.
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From the sci-fi epic to the potential Oscar nominee, everything is included. The talents gathered are particularly impressive. In 2023 we can expect new movies from Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Zack Snyder in the streaming space, while Gal Gadot, Leonardo DiCaprio, Henry Cavill and Chris Hemsworth will be in front of the camera.
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