“I wouldn’t have wanted to be James Bond,” says Eric Bana. “It would have been too much fame for my head.” The star of Troy and Black Hawk Down was one of a select group of people who knew his Munich co-star Daniel Craig was being courted to play Bond back in early 2005. With his easy charisma, debonair looks and physical presence, he could easily have played 007 himself – only he had no interest in becoming one of the most famous men on the planet. “I’m largely able to do whatever the hell I want, whenever I want,” he says. “It would have been a great loss.”
More than 20 years on from his bravura breakout performance in Aussie cult crime classic Chopper, Eric Bana is still a reluctant star. One of the many Australian actors of his generation to find fame and acclaim in Hollywood, Bana has built an eclectic career that has seen him leading blockbusters, stealing scenes in Judd Apatow comedies and even making a devilish appearance as Henry VIII in The Other Boleyn Girl. Now with Chopper freshly remastered and re-released to belatedly commemorate the film’s 20th anniversary (thanks Covid), Bana has the opportunity to do something he doesn’t do often – reflect.
