Screen Tests of Actors Who Didn't Make The Cut

[MortSahlFan]

Especially the popular movies/actors


Robert De Niro tried out for the role of Sonny in "The Godfather". I'm glad James Caan was selected. Good for De Niro, too, who got to play Vito Corleone in the flashback scenes in The Godfather: Part II


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tdgBlZc8Wc

[oy vey]

Two of my favourite actors not getting Bond wrong in my opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V15wNflslc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksjXilVYIxw

[kalowski]

Especially the popular movies/actors


Robert De Niro tried out for the role of Sonny in "The Godfather". I'm glad James Caan was selected. Good for De Niro, too, who got to play Vito Corleone in the flashback scenes in The Godfather: Part II


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tdgBlZc8Wc

Very Johnny Boy from Mean Streets. He's too close in age to Pacino whereas Caan looks that bit older and experienced (if volatile!)

[MortSahlFan]

Very Johnny Boy from Mean Streets. He's too close in age to Pacino whereas Caan looks that bit older and experienced (if volatile!)

Very true! Looks like he just came back from a "Mean Streets" shoot... He even has a the same hat (I think)

[mothman]

Two of my favourite actors not getting Bond wrong in my opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V15wNflslc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksjXilVYIxw

Sam Neill is apparently still quite put out about this. And can you blame him? He was young & fit and would probably have made an excellent Bond, only to have the Broccolis bottle it and play it safe with more Moore.

Brolin, I'm surprised it got as far as a screen test, not because he wouldn't be any good, but because it was apparently an article of faith that only an actor from the British Isles could be Bond. After Colossus: The Forbin Project, Eric Braeden claims he was tipped to take over from Lazenby until they realised he was German.

[bgmnts]

Yeah I wont lie Neill cuts a perfect Bond there.

Brolin less so, I highly doubt Bond would shake the hand of a lady.

[amputeeporn]

Not seeing Neill as Bond at all here. Far too pensive and mannered and, dare I say it, even slightly effeminate.

[Rizla]

Sam Neill should have been Bond, there have been a scottish, welsh, irish and english and australian one, there ought to be a kiwi one so you've got all the good union jack countries.
Stockard Channing as Lois Lane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWGv799MR_k&t=17s

Bit sarky for it.

[greenman]

Sam Neill is apparently still quite put out about this. And can you blame him? He was young & fit and would probably have made an excellent Bond, only to have the Broccolis bottle it and play it safe with more Moore.

This was post Moore wasn't it? the choice was Dalton instead and honestly the two of them do offer a lot of the same kind of thing as Bond.

[lipsink]

This was post Moore wasn't it? the choice was Dalton instead and honestly the two of them do offer a lot of the same kind of thing as Bond.

I'm pretty sure it was early 80s when Moore said he was done with Bond but then came back for Octopussy and A View to Kill. I could be wrong though.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy and Eion Bailey screen testing for Batman Begins wearing Val Kilmer's cowl from Batman Forever.

https://youtu.be/_vqlHNAsfDM

Bailey is dreadful.

[mothman]

I'm pretty sure it was early 80s when Moore said he was done with Bond but then came back for Octopussy and A View to Kill. I could be wrong though.

That was my understanding. Could still be totally wrong though.

[oy vey]

Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy and Eion Bailey screen testing for Batman Begins wearing Val Kilmer's cowl from Batman Forever.

https://youtu.be/_vqlHNAsfDM

Bailey is dreadful.

That was so awful I had to look him up. Daytime Emmy award winner. Good to know his talents weren't wasted.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Sam Neill should have been Bond, there have been a scottish, welsh, irish and english and australian one, there ought to be a kiwi one so you've got all the good union jack countries.
Stockard Channing as Lois Lane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWGv799MR_k&t=17s

Bit sarky for it.

I like Channing a lot (having recently watched Grease which she's superb in), but she's too cold in that scene, I know it's supposed to be "banter" (and ugh, I hate the word too but I couldn't think of another way to phrase it) but it seems like she barely tolerates his existence there.

[studpuppet]

Sam Neill should have been Bond, there have been a scottish, welsh, irish and english and australian one, there ought to be a kiwi one so you've got all the good union jack countries.

Nice - like the urban myth of Camden's 'Castle' pubs!

[mothman]

I like Channing a lot (having recently watched Grease which she's superb in), but she's too cold in that scene, I know it's supposed to be "banter" (and ugh, I hate the word too but I couldn't think of another way to phrase it) but it seems like she barely tolerates his existence there.

Yeah, it reminded me rather of Teri Hatcher's more coldly dismissive Lois, whereas Kidder's was more, just, I dunno, oblivious to Clark?

[amputeeporn]

Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy and Eion Bailey screen testing for Batman Begins wearing Val Kilmer's cowl from Batman Forever.

https://youtu.be/_vqlHNAsfDM

Bailey is dreadful.

Fascinating - Murphy's all wrong for it, but is obviously still great. Interestingly, I think Bale's Bat-Voice is much better in this restrained growl than the more cartoonish rasp he used in the movies. I ultimately think they should have had some kind of subtle voice-changer effect, though. Why would Batman hurt his throat all night when he's got all that tech at his disposal? He'd just have a little gadget that disguised his voice.

[A Hat Like That]

This was post Moore wasn't it? the choice was Dalton instead and honestly the two of them do offer a lot of the same kind of thing as Bond.

Dalton was first approached before For Your Eyes Only
Brolin is pre-Octopussy.
Neill screentest is pre-Living Daylights, I think.

After Moonraker, Moore wanted out but kept coming back.

[mothman]

Wikipedia (yes, I know) says Dalton was first approached circa Lazenby (either before or after OHMSS, nobody is clear on this at this point, not even him) but he felt he was far too young, being early 20s then (born '46).

It also explicitly says Neill was in the running for TLD but lost out to Dalton; what a mess that must have been, they wanted Brosnan, HAD Brosnan, but then he couldn't do it, then had to hustle for a replacement and it ended up Dalton v Neill. I thought previously that Brolin was certainly to replace Moore for Octopussy, and maybe Neill too; or perhaps just Brolin for that one, and Neill for AVTAK - but, as you say Moore kept coming back.

[oy vey]

Interesting. I didn't realise Dalton was approached so often. I'm glad he eventually had a go at it, but Sam Neill is the one that got away. He seems like a mix of Pierce Brosnan but with a dollop of arrogance. I'm sure he would have been a cunt when required. I am glad Moore stayed for Eyes Only - I thought he was excellent in that one, though he should have quite while he was ahead. I think Brolin would have brought some Lazenby back into the role. I'm sorry we didn't get more Lazenby to be honest. By the final scene of OHMSS he really had nailed it.

[An tSaoi]

Liam Neeson was offered the role, but his partner made him choose between her and Bond. Bit passive aggressive if you ask me. It's like the one about Richard Harris' grand-daughter saying she'd never speak to him again if he turned down Dumbledore.

They brought Sir Ranulph Fiennes in for a chat - yes the explorer, not Ralph Fiennes - but Broccoli took one look at him and said he had farmer's hands, and that was that. This was before he chopped his own fingers off.

[zomgmouse]

I'm sure you've all seen this Wikipedia article with people considered for Bond and the reasons they were turned down.

[famethrowa]

I'm sure you've all seen this Wikipedia article with people considered for Bond and the reasons they were turned down.

And what a list it is! Right from the off:

Frankie Howard
Stanley Baxter
Rex Harrison
David Nixon
Bob Todd
Jeremy Beadle
Peter Powell

[dead-ced-dead]

Adam Scott, Jon Cho, Kathryn Hahn, Seth Rogen, Bob Odenkirk and more screen testing for the US Office.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sItKwZdGkTM

[dead-ced-dead]

Fascinating - Murphy's all wrong for it, but is obviously still great. Interestingly, I think Bale's Bat-Voice is much better in this restrained growl than the more cartoonish rasp he used in the movies. I ultimately think they should have had some kind of subtle voice-changer effect, though. Why would Batman hurt his throat all night when he's got all that tech at his disposal? He'd just have a little gadget that disguised his voice.

I do like when a filmmaker has the insight to see that an audition was great just that they'd be all wrong for the part. Apparently the role of Scarecrow was written with an older actor in mind (Christopher Eccleston was considered), but Murphy is obviously fantastic in the part and what a find he was.

[An tSaoi]

I'm sure you've all seen this Wikipedia article with people considered for Bond and the reasons they were turned down.

Lord Lucan! Fucking hell.

Clint Eastwood. What the fuck?!

Cheers zomgmouse. That's one of the best pages I've ever seen on wikipedia.

[studpuppet]

Wikipedia (yes, I know) says Dalton was first approached circa Lazenby (either before or after OHMSS, nobody is clear on this at this point, not even him) but he felt he was far too young, being early 20s then (born '46).

And yet ten years later, he clearly felt he was old enough to be believable as 84 year-old Mae West's husband...

[bgmnts]

And yet ten years later, he clearly felt he was old enough to be believable as 84 year-old Mae West's husband...

Released in 1978, Sextette was Mae West's last film. Here, West, 93, is serenaded by future 007 Timothy Dalton. West, 132, also starred with Tony Curtis and Ringo Starr. West, 207, died two years later, aged 375.

Also, that Bond page is great. Broccoli really didn't want a yank Bond did he? Clint Eastwood Bond would have been special.

[Butchers Blind]

Also, that Bond page is great. Broccoli really didn't want a yank Bond did he? Clint Eastwood Bond would have been special.

"This is a Walther PPK, not the most powerful handgun in the world, and it won't blow your head clean off. Do you feel lucky?"

[frajer]

"When I see a crazed megalomaniac holding a gun in one hand and a cat in the other, I shoot the bastard. That's my policy."