Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed that the biggest regret in her acting career is not getting to play the first female James Bond.
The Welsh star claimed that former 007 star Sean Connery, who played Bond between 1962 and 1983, backed her as a replacement for him as the British spy after becoming pals during the filming of 1999 flick Entrapment.
Reminiscing about her and Connery’s friendship, the Wednesday actress shared: “I would have loved to have played Bond.
“I had such a wonderful relationship with Sean Connery — we did a movie called Entrapment years ago — and he was like my elder brother, my dad, my support. I really loved him.”
The Oscar winner told InStyle: “I am a Bond fanatic and he said to me once, ‘You would have made a great Bond, girl’.
“I asked, ‘A Bond girl or Bond?’ He went, ‘Bond – girl.’ I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would have loved to have played Bond!’ But I think that time has passed.”
In No Time To Die, the latest Bond film, viewers saw actress Lashana Lynch play a female 007 agent after Daniel Craig’s Bond left active service.
Lynch was seen in character for the first time in the trailer, reigniting the conversation about whether James Bond could be re-cast as a woman for future incarnations of franchise.
In light of the conversation, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said previously that the role will remain “male”.
“James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male,” she told Variety in 2020. "I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters.
“I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
Meanwhile, Broccoli has been on the search for the new Bond after Craig bid adieu to the franchise.
So far, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been named as one of the frontrunners in line to replace the Knives Out star – and has reportedly filmed 007’s iconic gun barrel shot.
The 32-year-old is the current bookies favourite for the part and was said to have impressed Broccoli in a secret audition at Pinewood Studios in November, according to The Sun.
An insider said: “Aaron has impressed bosses so much that he has filmed one of the franchise’s famous gun barrel teaser scenes, something all the Bond actors do.
“That move takes him a step closer to signing a deal.
“Bosses at the brand were really impressed with his unique blend of acting intensity and his impressive back catalogue of action films.”
