Austin Butler Says an American James Bond Is ‘Sacrilegious’

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Instead of aiming for the title Pope, which is more common, a more exclusive and renowned title to aspire towards could be James Bond. With each new installment in the popular spy franchise, they need to introduce a fresh 007, causing excitement among fans and media as they speculate who will inherit this legendary role, a position held by only a select few actors. Currently, Denis Villeneuve is preparing to direct the first film of the series’ upcoming era, leading to speculation about who he will pick for his leading spy character. However, we can confirm that Austin Butler, who stars alongside Villeneuve in “Dune: Part Two,” has expressed no interest in playing Bond, as he feels an American Bond would be a bit blasphemous.

In an interview with Hits Radio UK (which we initially spotted on Deadline), Butler expressed that director Villeneuve hasn’t approached him about the role of Bond, and even if he was offered it, Butler wouldn’t accept due to personal reasons. He explained, “I don’t believe it would be appropriate for me, given that I’m American. Though I can manage an accent, taking on this iconic British character might border on blasphemy.

Austin believes that the character of James Bond should originate from the UK, but he expressed interest in portraying a Bond villain instead. This idea is quite appealing (indeed, very appealing), but it seems like Butler is undervaluing himself and his nationality. Is it truly impossible to have an American James Bond? Honestly, isn’t that unfair considering we’ve been casting British Spider-Mans for a while now? We’ve had a British Batman and Superman as well. Haven’t we allowed our counterparts from across the ocean to play Founding Fathers, haven’t we? Was it wrong when the HBO “John Adams” mini-series cast Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson and Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin?

Well, here’s an attempt: I guess it could be, but no worries! Acting is all about playing someone else, not necessarily being from the same place as your character. Often, Nicholas Hoult speaks with a more authentic American accent than many actual Americans!

Additionally, Butler would covet the role particularly due to his origin, as he would be the sole American among the esteemed group of James Bond actors. It’s not blasphemous to consider this, considering we’ve had a Pope hailing from Chicago.

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2025-08-25 18:32