Clive Owen calms James Bond rumours with latest interview

30-Mar-2005 • Casino Royale

Following the hysteria of yesterday's rumours that Clive Owen has signed as James Bond and will be announced officially next week, the award-winning actor appeared on the Charlie Rose show on PBS (USA).

Charlie Rose: What's next for you?

Clive Owen: Um...I really...I'm not sure...I think I know what i'm doing, but nothing's been absolutely locked up...

Rose: There's nothing you can talk about?

Owen: No, exactly.

Rose: You have all this talk about Bond...

Owen: (long pause, smirk) All this talk about Bond, that's all there is.

Rose: (laugh) It's all talk?

Owen: Yeah, it is all talk.

Rose: And nobody's called you up and said, "We have a..."

Owen: It's totally unsubstantiated rumor. You know it's been flying out there, and I can understand why: I did BMW films, and raced cars around, and had a croupier with a tuxedo, so I can understand why that thing's there, but it's sort of, it's just been out there in Tabloid Land throughout the years.

Rose: Yeah, right, , it has, but it would seem to me that whether it happens or not, you know - it's a whole bunch of things, I guess, whoever makes the decisions - but it would be a fun kind of thing to do. I would think, simply because you're gonna get all the other stuff, you know, and this is kinda a nice thing to sort of almost dress up and go to town.

Owen: Yeah, but at the same time, I feel like in the last, you know... Got a lot of expression in the last few years. I've done the most varied and interesting work, and if there's any pattern in my career, it's that I've always tried to do something different all the time, you know, I, I do a TV series, I wanna get out of TV. And I think keeping it varied and interesting is the best place to be. I look at some actors careers, and think, actors who can move anywhere, actors that can work with a whole variety of different directors and different roles, that's... that's something very desirable for me, because it just keeps it open and interesting, and it stops you finding yourself in a place where you think you've got something to protect, as opposed to just doing your job well and creating different characters.

Thanks to `Skagbaron` and `Kyvan` for the alert.