Taron Egerton Says He's Not The "Right Choice" For The Next James Bond, And His Reason Is Interesting

    "You have to be consistently statuesque to be that guy. And that's something that I am still striving for."

    This post contains discussion of body image issues.

    Taron Egerton: suave guy. You've seen him play a spy of sorts in the Kingsman films; he definitely knows his way around espionage.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    I mean, look at this picture. It kind of just screams "James Bond," doesn't it?

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    Indeed, Taron has a rather...Bond-esque way of being, and if you're on social media, you've probably seen a few people say, "Hey, why can't this guy be the next James Bond?"

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    Not so fast, says Taron. The actor recently gave an interview to the Telegraph (via People), and he threw a 007-sized bucket of cold water on the rumors that he'd even be interested in stepping into Daniel Craig's shoes.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    "I don't think I'm the right choice," Taron explained — and he went on to suggest that his reasoning has to do with his own body image.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    "You have to be consistently statuesque to be that guy," he said. "And that's something that I am still striving for. I've always struggled with my weight."

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    Now, let's keep it real — the idea that you have to look a certain way to play James Bond is, on its face, ridiculous. I'm not really sure anyone has ever watched a James Bond film and asked themselves, "Yes, but how much does he weigh?" It's just not a thing, at all.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    To be fair, he also had other, less absurd reasons for not wanting to take on the role. Taron also explained that being Bond "is a bit like being a brand ambassador as well as being an actor."

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    "And that could be really fun in microcosm, but I'm sure I read that [producer] Barbara Broccoli said that it's a 15-year commitment," he said.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    But, like, let's not get ahead of ourselves — because Taron himself says he's not even in the running for the role, at this point at least. "It's sort of irrelevant how I feel about it, anyway, because I can tell you there have been zero phone calls," he said.

    Closeup of Taron Egerton

    We'll see how this all turns out!