Callum Turner has long been called the front-runner for the next James Bond, and he's once again addressed the possibility of becoming 007 as he receives the backing of a major Hollywood star. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, George Clooney — who directed Dua Lipa's now-husband in 2023's The Boys in the Boat — called Turner an ideal leading man, especially for this particular franchise.
"I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond. I think he would be a great Bond," Clooney said. "He's tall and handsome and charming and British, so he's the perfect guy to do it."
"Speaking as an older guy now, it's interesting how much more difficult it is than it was back in the day," he explained when talking about leading movie stars in general.
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"It's just harder. Talk to any big-time producer or big-time director: They're constantly going, 'Who's a leading man now? Who's the one?' [Turner] hasn't just gone for the easy paychecks — he's done really interesting work," he added.
"Somehow Callum has weaved his way through all of the noise and found a place where people look at him and go, 'There's something with this young man.'
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"It's exciting to watch people saying, 'That guy — that's a guy I want to follow and pay attention to.' I can't explain it, but I know it when I see it," he added.
In response to Clooney's blessing, Turner himself remained coy about whether he's really in the running.
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"I know as much as you do — really, I know as much as you do," he said, adding that he's "not going to comment" when asked if he'd take the role if offered.
Turner was also asked about which directors he'd love to work with and joked he should say Denis Villeneuve, the director of the new Bond movie.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
