10 Actors Who Turned Down James Bond Role

Cary Grant - 1961 Reason For Decline: Cary felt he was too old at 58 to play the role. Richard Burton - 1959, 1961, 1968 Reason For Decline: Wanted more than the producers were willing to pay. Burt Reynolds - 1968 Reason For Decline: Burt felt as if Bond should be British. Adam West - 1970 Reason For Decline: Like Burt Reynolds, Adam thought that Bond should be British. Clint Eastwood - 1971 Reason For Decline: Also thought Bond should be British. We clearly need an American spy that lives up to Bond. Liam Neeson - 1994 Reason For Decline: At the time, Liam wasn't interested in starring in action movies. Colin Farrell - 2004 Reason For Decline: Colin didn't think audiences would want him to be James Bond. Hugh Jackman - 2005 Reason For Decline: A busy schedule as well as Hugh's fear of being typecast. Ewan McGregor - 2005 Reason For Decline: Ewan also had a fear of being typecast after taking on the iconic role. Gerard Butler - 2009 Reason For Decline: Gerard thought that becoming Bond would ruin his career. Source: wikipedia