10 Actors Who Bombed Huge Auditions
6. Mark Strong - James Bond
In spite of bringing to life the likes of Jim Prideaux in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Merlin in the Kingsman franchise, Mark Strong makes a fantastic villain. See Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, Stardust, Shazam!, and even Green Lantern for proof.
The guy just does evil so well, and it feels like he was born to play an incredible James Bond villain at some point. It's the kind of role he could elevate to legendary levels, and if you think it's a missed opportunity that it hasn't happened already, the unfortunate truth is that it could have.
Though he stopped short of revealing exactly which character and for which movie, Strong has spoken about having an audition to play a Bond baddie in the '90s opposite Pierce Brosnan. After learning his lines he went out to celebrate, and like Tom Hiddleston before his Pirates audition, got way too drunk.
Hungover and unable to remember any of his lines, Strong bombed his chance to join the franchise, covered in sweat in front of eight executives. The wonderful irony of it all is that it was Daniel Craig, the man who would take the 007 mantle from Brosnan in the years to come, who he was drinking with that night.