As the powers in charge of the James Bond movies prepared to revamp the series in 2006’s Casino Royale, this search for the new face of 007 was potentially the most important. While the role eventually went to Daniel Craig, there was a field of notable contenders that would eventually make huge names for themselves. Perry Mason’s Matthew Rhys was one of them, but his chances were apparently scrapped when some jokes he made during his audition didn’t go over as well as planned.
Rhys sat down with The Times of London (via Deadline) for an interview about not only his current Perry Mason gig, but also his role on FX’s hit espionage drama The Americans. Imagining the man in a tuxedo, trying to shake down a terrorist organization over a game of Texas Hold ‘em certainly isn’t a stretch with jobs like that.
And yet, the story as Matthew Rhys tells it says that he lost out on the job because of a joke he told when meeting with James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Respectively recalling a wry remark he almost spoke out loud (and the one he actually told) here’s Rhys’ answers to when being asked how he’d tweak his interpretation of James Bond:
Oh, it’s been a bit one-note for a few decades, hasn’t it? I think we can drop the misogynistic jokes. … I’d give him a limp. I said, ‘Limp?’ Nothing. ‘Eye patch?’ Nothing.
Let’s just take a step back and read back that scenario, because it’s too wild to pass by. Matthew Rhys was called in to potentially follow Pierce Brosnan’s footsteps as 007, and he got to speak to Broccoli & Wilson personally. But when it came to the essay portion of the interview, he joked that his Bond would have a limp and/or eye patch. To be totally honest, Rhys may have had better luck saying the quiet part loud, and the loud part quietly.
Typically the stories of how actors like Henry Cavill and Sam Heughan lost out on the lead in Casino Royale come down to factors involving performance experience. Daniel Craig’s 007 journey als included some doubt, as director Martin Campbell initial had reservations about casting the Layer Cake star after Pierce Brosnan’s firing from the role.
Then again, the uniqueness of Matthew Rhys’ James Bond story comes from the fact that he wasn’t invited to screentest for the role. As far as the Cocaine Bear actor is concerned, it sounds like he was only involved in the initial interviews.
That experience alone sounds like it was nerve wracking, as Rhys explained further along in his recollection. And to be fair, Matthew did provide an explanation on why he cracked a joke when being asked how his Commander Bond would be different from the rest:
Very intimidating. We were just told to wear a dark suit and read Casino Royale. … I just remember going, ‘Ah.’ I was so not anticipating that question. And then I was like, is it a trick question? Are they waiting for people to go, ‘I wouldn’t do anything. He’s perfect’?
Eventually, a handful of actors screen tested for Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig’s James Bond winning out in the due course of history. As the next era of Ian Fleming’s super spy is dawning through Bond 26’s development, there’s no telling who’ll be the next victor that’ll be granted the choice to make the role their own. Which means there’s plenty of time for any aspiring secret agents out there to heed Matthew Rhys’ tale, and choose their words carefully in the interview phase--- for they might be their last. At least, in the terms of trying to become the next 007.
Coincidentally enough, you can watch both Rhys’ current role, as well as the one he lost out on, in one convenient streaming library. You can catch up on both seasons of Perry Mason, as well as watch Daniel Craig’s 00-introduction in Casino Royale, if you have an HBO Max subscription handy.
