Angelina Jolie Once Allegedly Refused To Play Bond Girl In Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale Because She Wanted To Be James Bond(Photo Credit –Facebook/IMDb)
Angelina Jolie is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and James Bond is one of the most iconic film franchises. So imagine Jolie in a Bond film! It would literally blow our minds, and the opportunity had once presented itself to the actress, but she declined the offer to be a Bond girl because she didn’t want to settle for the side character and be the main lead in Casino Royale.
Daniel Craig was seen as 007 in Casino Royale, and his version of the character is undoubtedly one of the best portrayals. The Bond movies exude style and sass and have a genre of their own. Meanwhile, Jolie established herself as a versatile actress, and the sky is the limit for her. The Tomb Raider star is as excellent in the action genre as in drama and other genres. Hence, it was only natural for the makers of the Bond movie to approach her for a role in the Craig-led film.
Amy Pascal was the co-chairman of Sony Pictures when Casino Royale came out. As per Yahoo via cheatsheet.com, Rachel McAdams and Charlize Theron were also considered to play Bond Girl, i.e., opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Casino Royale. When Pascal proposed a role in the film, Jolie did not hesitate to turn it down and place her desire forth. The role was eventually played by 300: Rise of an Empire star Eva Green.
While speaking to Vanity Fair, Angelina Jolie opened up about how Amy Pascal might have failed to get Jolie her desired role in Casino Royale, but she didn’t disappoint the Hollywood diva entirely as she then did the action flick Salt.
Jolie recalled, “It started with a call from Amy. She asked if I wanted to play a Bond girl. I said, ‘No, I’m not comfortable with that, but I would like to play Bond.’ We laughed, and then, about a year later, she called back and said, ‘I think I found it.’”
Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber starrer Salt was released in 2010. Jolie played the role of Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent, in this action thriller. She gets accused of planning the assassination of the Russian president. She escapes to prove her innocence following some jam-packed actions.
Salt was allegedly made with a male actor in mind, but it eventually fell into Angelina Jolie’s lap. In an interview with Britain’s Mail via Contact Music, Jolie expressed how her actioner differed from a Bond film. She said, “Salt is nothing like Bond. In so many films, women are femme fatales, and we wanted to avoid that. My character doesn’t use her sexuality to get anything. It’s the roughest I’ve looked. When we fight, it gets ugly. Somebody breaks my nose in the film. It’s not pretty.”
The film was made on an estimated budget of over $100 million and earned $293.50 million worldwide.