Had fate taken a different turn, Antony Starr, now a standout as the menacing Homelander in "The Boys," might have trodden an entirely disparate career trajectory, hindered only by a fateful James Bond audition gone awry. Recently, amidst Amazon MGM's quest to discover Daniel Craig's successor, footage from Starr's long-ago bid for the iconic 007 role went viral. Prompted by this resurgence, Starr has opened up about his failed tryout, labeling it as one of the most subpar interpretations of the character ever witnessed.
During a recent conversation on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast with Josh Horowitz, Starr reminisced about his 2005 audition for cinema's most renowned secret agent.Despite not pulling any punches when depicting his mechanized depiction of Bond at that time, he conceded that every journey has a humble beginning.
"Imagine casting a hook without bait into a vast lake, fully aware that catching a fish is improbable," Starr illustrated. "I watched the footage myself. It was during the time when Daniel Craig was sealing the deal." He further elaborated, "They were casting a wide net across the globe, and I was but one of the minuscule fish that got entangled in it. It was quite surreal." He continued, "It came as a pleasant surprise, and I went in to read for it. It wasn't great, but it mirrored my stage in life at that moment."
Despite his candor in criticizing his Bond audition, Starr, who has since become a recognized name thanks to his role in "The Boys," seems to have moved past the disappointment. "It doesn't really bother me. Everyone starts somewhere, so it is what it is. Truthfully, it's one of the worst renderings of 'Bond. James Bond' you'll ever lay eyes on," he admitted.
When prodded about whether he'd reconsider taking another stab at the role, Starr, drawing from his experience in the "Banshee" series, noted how demanding such fight sequences can be. Hence, he delicately declined, stating, "I understand the commitment it entails, and it's substantial. It's arduous. That's a game for a younger man,
