Yahoo Finance Hugh Jackman for Bond? 'Over my dead body,' jokes Daniel Craig
Before Bond went blond with the casting of Daniel Craig as the British super-spy in 2006's Casino Royale, Hugh Jackman was a high-ranking prospect for the gig. And with Craig about to hang up his bowtie, Jackman seems to be enjoying hearing his name in the conversation again, especially if it comes up during one of the current Bond star's interviews.
On Monday, Jackman shared a clip of an interview between Scottish television presenter Lorraine Kelly and Craig. When Kelly brought up the search for the new Bond and began to mention advice that Jackman had apparently given him, Craig interrupted her, joking that The Greatest Showman star would not be taking the role.
"He's not going to be it," Craig said, causing Kelly to break into laughter.
Karwai Tang/WireImage; John Phillips/Getty Images Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig
"Over my dead body," Craig added with a smile.
Captioning the clip, Jackman joked, "Well … that kills that rumor!" He added, "Daniel, mate, you will always be @007 to me. #notimetodie. I'm IN. @lorrainekellysmith."
Jackman has been open about his interest in playing Bond over the years, even revealing he was tapped as a potential replacement for Pierce Brosnan before Craig took over the role.
"I got a call from my agent saying, 'There is some possible interest in you for Bond, are you interested?'" Jackman told the British Press Association in 2011. "At the time I wasn't. I was about to shoot X-Men 2 and Wolverine had become this thing in my life and I didn't want to be doing two such iconic characters at once."
Still, Jackman has enjoyed putting his name out there for the role, once joking that he himself started a rumor that he'd be taking over as Bond. "I mean, who wouldn't want to play James Bond?" he said in 2011. "I've always wanted to be 007. He's the only British superhero."
He added, "I think every male at some point thinks about playing James Bond so it was not right then, but it may be right if it comes back."
In 2015, the question about Jackman's interest in Bond came up again, with the actor saying at the time, "I'd seriously consider it," while on Australia's The Project.
Jackman and Craig are longtime friends. They starred together on the Broadway stage in 2009's A Steady Rain, which had a limited run.
In an interview with the U.K.'s Independent earlier this month, Craig actually credited Jackman for helping him through some of the struggles he went through as he played Bond. When the attention from the job began to impact Craig's personal life, Jackman helped him "to come to terms with it and appreciate it," Craig said.
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