Josh O’Connor has described being linked to the role of James Bond as a “bizarre pinch me moment”, while former 007 Pierce Brosnan has offered warm words for rival contender Callum Turner.
O’Connor spoke to the BBC on Tuesday at the opening of the Everyman Theatre’s new education and community centre in his hometown of Cheltenham.
“To be considered in that same sort of bracket is extraordinary,” he said.
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The actor is reportedly among the candidates to replace Daniel Craig, alongside Turner and Jack Lowden.
He did not say whether he had taken part in any auditions. “There is nothing to say beyond that,” he said.
Brosnan, who played Bond in four films between 1995 and 2002, told Vanity Fair that he is now just “the man in the street who is eager to see who is going to play this epic role of cinematic history.”
Of Turner, he said: “Callum Turner is someone I’ve worked with, and he’s so strong.”
The two worked together on The Only Living Boy in New York in 2017. Brosnan added that all the men on the current list are “actors I admire.”
He also praised director Denis Villeneuve, calling him “such an iconoclastic director” and predicting that “we are going to be blown away.”
The untitled film is in development, with Steven Knight writing, Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing, and Villeneuve directing.
Pascal has told Deadline that she expects a casting announcement by the end of the year. Turner and Lowden are reported to be the frontrunners.
O’Connor won an Emmy for playing Prince Charles in The Crown, and has since appeared in films including The Mastermind and The History of Sound.
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