Henry Golding Got Real About Why Playing James Bond Would Be A 'Nightmare'

At this present time, there are potentially dozens of actors who are hoping that they have some kind of realistic chance to succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. The franchise is making moves forward, with Denis Villeneuve recently tapped to helm the next film with a new 007, and that means that it probably won't be too long before we learn who will be the movie's leading man. But while many stars are hoping to get the gig, Henry Golding evidently isn't one of them, as he seems to have no interest in taking on a role with so much pressure riding on it.

Amid the recent news about the next James Bond movie, People caught up with Golding on the red carpet for the premiere of Netflix's The Old Guard 2 in Los Angeles, and when he was asked about playing the world's most famous super spy, he didn't hold back. The Another Simple Plan star told the reporter,

The benefits of playing James Bond are obvious. It's a way to become an instant part of pop culture history; it's a gig that provides some nice job security (George Lazenby's single appearance in the franchise notwithstanding); there is a nice paycheck; and you get millions of fans around the globe excited to see what you can do with a beloved character. That all comes with the hefty baggage of expectation and judgement, however, and some people just aren't built to handle that kind of pressure, which I get.

For Henry Golding, playing 007 would be a lot, and he says he would instead be more comfortable with a less spotlight-y part in the franchise – perhaps a spy with a different 00 designation. The actor added,

It's a reasonable point. One of the big things for an actor taking on a classic character like James Bond is that the audience already has an image in their head of what they expect them to be like – and if that image isn't fully realized on the big screen, they have a tendency to be unhappy. Playing a role with zero history means zero baggage... though Golding admitted that he might just be a bit pusillanimous:

Fans continue to wait for the big news about the next James Bond, and when the announcement does finally arrive, you can be sure that we here on CinemaBlend will be writing about it quite a lot. And as for Henry Golding, you can see a lot of his recent work if you have access to multiple streaming platforms. Amazon Prime subscribers can see him reprise his role as Sean Townsend in the aforementioned Another Simple Favor starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively; those with Hulu accounts can see him as part of the ensemble in Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2; and those who are signed up for Netflix can soon see him in The Old Guard 2, which will be debuting on July 2.