The curious reason why The Rock can never be James Bond

James Bond is a character with many virtues, but history tells us that the muscles of Dwayne The Rock Johnsonalthough he has applied for the role, they are not among them.

The franchise’s veteran casting director has dismissed The Rock’s call to appear as the next 007. The American actor said in October that he was looking forward to following in the footsteps of his grandfather Peter Maivia, who fought Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice.

Debbie McWilliams, who has worked on the films since 1981, told the Radio Times that Daniel Craig’s successor must have the ability to blend in. “He has to look like a normal guy, you can’t be Dwayne Johnson,” she said. “He has to have a great physique, which requires a high level of fitness, but he must not stand out in any situation.”

The 26th Bond movie isn’t expected until 2025 at the earliest. Craig already said goodbye with ‘No Time To Die’ in 2021, his fifth film. McWilliams said that while the decision required “a lot of things to consider”, brilliant acting chops and physical skill and dexterity were non-negotiable. “There is no absolute ideal mold. There never will be and there never should be, otherwise it would be boring,” he added. “He must be the best person for the job and one year he may be one person, another year another; cannot be predicted. There is no algebraic method that says ‘okay, we have this and that, and it equals this’. It does not work like that”.

The chosen actor is also likely to be in his early thirties, although several younger applicants were ruled out before Craig’s first appearance in 2006’s Casino Royale, shot when he was 37 and 38. “We looked at a lot of younger actors and I don’t think they had the gravitas or the experience or the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the role they take on, it’s a huge responsibility”explains McWilliams. “So we scrapped that idea, went back to the drawing board, and started over.”