James Bond rumors have been absolutely rampant for years now. Given we’ve known Daniel Craig will be wrapping up his run after next year’s No Time To Die, there's been a lot of open space and time for speculation. One of the names that has been more recently bandied about has been Henry Golding, the star of last year’s Crazy Rich Asians and this year’s Last Christmas. Now he’s spoken out about how he feels about the possibility of playing James Bond.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote Last Christmas, the late night host happened to mention the actor has made the Vegas leaderboard in regards to the odds he could become James Bond. Of course, this is simply based on fan betting at this point, but it does drive home the possibility. How does Henry Golding feel about the prospect? He said:
If you’re a male movie star, it is literally the most iconic role possible. You’d be an absolute idiot not to sort of think and aspire for a role like that. I mean, who knows?
Of course, at this point it would be foolish for Henry Golding to extrapolate out the possibility too far. That would be setting yourself up for disappointment, and if you know anything about Golding’s background you should know he’s the type of person who has smoothly transitioned from career opportunity to career opportunity by rolling with the punches and saying yes to brand new experiences when they have come his way.
In fact, in the same interview, Henry Golding spoke out about the jobs he had prior to becoming a famous name in Hollywood, which included working red carpet gigs such as those for the Harry Potter franchise movies. He also was a TV host and even a hairdresser, noting that each time he's transitioned it's been because he strayed from the straight lane laid out before him.
It was a shift, sort of when the opportunity came when I switched from hairdresser to become a sort of presenter, if was me focusing on that sort of goal. We go around with blinkers on our eyes and we sort of focus in on one thing, but something brighter, bigger and better is just off to the side. But we’re like, no, no, no this is my path, this is my path. Luckily, I was able to switch.
Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see if Henry Golding remains in the conversation once Barbara Broccoli and co. start taking a good, hard look at what's coming next for the franchise (although they may have already), but having a Bond joke in Last Christmas likely will keep this particular conversation going a little longer. Plus, at the very least, Henry Golding is in good company in this particular Vegas-oriented rumor mill. Some other names being bandied about for the gig include the ever-popular Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Fassbender and Cillian Murphy, according to recent betting odds. Those names join plenty of others that have been rumored over the last few years.
Related: Actors Who Have Been Rumored To Take Over For Daniel Craig As James Bond
In the meantime, it's worth pointing out that James Bond's 25th feature No Time To Die has wrapped production and will be coming out on April 8 2020. We know a little bit about what that will entail, including a Jamaica setting at the beginning of the movie and a new 007. Check out more with our full guide.
