Henry Cavill nearly beat Daniel Craig to James Bond role but was deemed “too young”

Argylle director Matthew Vaughn has revealed that Henry Cavill was almost cast as James Bond instead of Daniel Craig.

• READ MORE: ‘Argylle’ review: Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill’s stranger than fiction spy caper

Vaughn shared the news with the Man of Steel actor while the pair were promoting Argylle in a recent SiriusXM interview – you can watch it below.

“When Henry was auditioning for Bond, I was at Pinewood, right? And Daniel was as well at the same time. I’d go off and meet with Daniel and [I’d] say what’s going on, and he said there’s this young guy, Henry Cavill I think they’re seeing as well [for the auditions],” Vaughn shared.

“It got down to the last two for Bond… And I know that the director preferred your audition. But [producer] Barbara [Broccoli] preferred [Craig],” Vaughn told Cavill. “So, just so you know, and they decided you were too young.”

Cavill, who still continues to be linked with the role of 007, noted that Craig “did an amazing job” with his iteration of the iconic spy character, which began with 2006’s Casino Royale.

“He and everyone else involved breathed new life into the franchise, which did it wonders,” the actor added.

Cavill, who plays a suave spy not too dissimilar to James Bond in his new film Argylle, also said that he didn’t think the movie would damage his chances of playing 007 in the future.

“Whether I’m ruled out of Bond because of this or not is up to Barbara Broccoli and [producer] Mr. Wilson,” the actor told Games Radar.

Speaking to Men’s Health in 2019, Cavill shared the story of his failed screen test for Casino Royale, admitting that he “probably could prepared better”.

Argylle, which NME gave a three-star review, is now showing in cinemas.

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