7MMO
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“Sean Connery, chosen to play Bond on the screen, had better be good.” November 3 marks the 65th anniversary of the announcement of Sean Connery’s casting as the big screen’s first James Bond – and it turns out people were complaining about Bond casting even then.
I did a deep dive on Newspapers.com to see how the media covered the casting of James Bond, from Sean Connery through Daniel Craig. Relatively unknown actors faced tougher scrutiny than actors like Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan who were known for playing Bond-like roles on TV shows.
(Speaking of TV shows, the iconic British secret agent’s first screen appearance was in an episode of the 1954 anthology TV series Climax! where the character, played by Barry Nelson, was changed to be American. Imagine if there was social media back then!)
So as we wait to find out whether it’s Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor or someone else entirely cast in James Bond 26, let’s take a look back on how past Bonds were reported on by the media, starting with:
Sean Connery Announced November 3, 1961
One has to remember what a phenomenon James Bond was in the early 1960s. Ian Fleming’s novels were bestsellers and even President John F. Kennedy made his 007 fandom known. There had been much anticipation about James Bond finally getting the big screen treatment in Dr. No – Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant even eyed it at one point –so when it was announced that Scottish actor Sean Connery had won the role, the biggest response was: Who?
As you can see from some of the headlines below, Connery is branded an unknown – the last time he ever would be called that as he became a global superstar thanks to the franchise.
Until Daniel Craig inherited the role and started giving his legacy a run for its memory, Connery topped (nearly) every “who is the best Bond?” poll there was.
That’s why this one reporter’s jab at Connery’s casting is so hilarious. It's like the first fanboy shit post about casting. I hope he kept this quote framed on his office wall.
George Lazenby Announced October 7, 1968
As much as Connery was an unknown actor at the time he was cast as Bond, at least he was an actor. The Aussie-born Lazenby was not only unknown – he wasn’t even an actor! He was a male model known for some ads so the media coverage of him having the unenviable task of following Connery emphasized his complete lack of experience and his past jobs.
Lazenby infamously only made one Bond film – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – before EON Productions shelled out the big bucks to get Connery back for one more film (Diamonds Are Forever). Lazenby’s ego and lack of professional experience also got the better of him during his short stint in the role, which was chronicled in the 2017 docudrama Becoming Bond.
Roger Moore Announced August 1, 1972
No one had to ask who Roger Moore was when he was announced as the third 007 actor. Internationally known for his roles on The Saint, The Persuaders and Maverick, Moore was the most famous actor who had been cast as 007 at that point.
And while the coverage was largely favorable, it’s noteworthy to see the press’ dismissive headlining of Moore as “TV Actor” (the gulf between being a film actor and a TV actor persisted until HBO and the streamers made it professionally acceptable to work in both mediums).
Timothy Dalton Announced August 6, 1986
A Shakespearean actor as 007?! (Patrick Stewart received similar treatment from the press when he was announced as the lead of Star Trek: The Next Generation.) Dalton had been on EON’s radar as far back as Live and Let Die. By the time he finally accepted the role, Welshman Dalton had to follow Roger Moore, who had been playing James Bond for 12 years until he hung up his tux with 1985’s A View to a Kill.
(It was supposed to be Pierce Brosnan starring in The Living Daylights but NBC wouldn’t let him out of his TV contract for Remington Steele, not unlike how Tom Selleck lost out on the role of Indiana Jones.)
This columnist bemoaned the passing of the torch from Moore to Dalton:
Dalton is mostly remembered now as a super-serious Bond closer to Ian Fleming’s literary version, the antithesis of Moore’s campy 007, and for only making two lukewarm Bond films. Still, Dalton’s Bond walked so that Daniel Craig’s Bond could run.
Pierce Brosnan Announced June 8, 1994
The Bond franchise lay dormant from 1989 to 1994 as EON Productions waged a legal battle over screen rights with a producer who collaborated on the novel for Thunderball. Once production could pick back up, Dalton was out and Irishman Brosnan was – finally – in.
Brosnan had essentially spent five seasons on TV in a perpetual audition for the Bond role playing the suave (and often tuxedo-clad) Remington Steele. By the time he was officially cast as Bond for GoldenEye, Brosnan told the press he was “older” and “wiser” for the role and didn’t want the character to be as “politically correct” as Dalton’s incarnation had been.
Daniel Craig Announced October 14, 2005
Blond, James Blond. That’s how almost every headline went – including my own when I reported on Craig’s casting for IGN back in 2005 – followed by a deluge of criticism over his casting, the likes of which had not been seen since Michael Keaton was cast as Batman (and, to a lesser degree, Tom Cruise as Lestat).
“James Blond” was soon swapped out for “James Bland” in tabloid headlines bashing the English actor’s casting. There was even a fan site dedicated to hating on Craig’s casting, CraigNotBond.com – which still exists to this day, five years after Craig exited the franchise with No Time to Die!
Of course, Craig largely won over the haters with his debut performance as 007 in 2006’s Casino Royale, bringing a wounded humanity to the role that distinguished him from his predecessors. It’s hard to believe now that “James Bland” was the longest-running Bond actor, leading the franchise for 15 years.
Whoever follows in Craig’s footsteps will undoubtedly face their own share of backlash – just a cursory glance at social media confirms 007 fans have their fierce opinions on contenders like Turner and Lowden and the oft-rumored Jacob Elordi – but they will be hard pressed to bear the wrath that Daniel Craig did.
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