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Ben Starr, best known for his roles in Final Fantasy 16 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, reveals that he auditioned for the part of James Bond in the recently released 007 First Light.
Obviously, he didn't get the job, as the role ended up going to Patrick Gibson. However, it sounds like he's very pleased with how things worked out.
Speaking to VGC, Starr recounts his experience before singing Gibson's praises in the final game.
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"I auditioned for James Bond years ago," he says, explaining he was part-way through his work on Final Fantasy 16 at the time. "I never would've gotten it, I was terrible [...] I was just a young actor who liked video games."
He says he "crumbled under the pressure", describing being in the room with IO Interactive and Eon Productions as "really intimidating".
"I'm so f***ing happy I didn't get anywhere near it, because my god, Patrick Gibson's so f***ing good in that game. He's unbelievable," Starr says.
Indeed, Gibson has received a lot of praise for his performance as Bond in the new game, with some now campaigning for him to play the same part in the live-action movies.
His co-star, Lennie James, has also said he's "fantastic" in 007 First Light, and should be in the conversation to play Bond on the big screen.
I feel like, if Ben Starr had been cast as Bond, it'd feel very different to the one we got. Gibson really does just seem perfectly cast for what IO wanted to do.