James Brolin almost got James Bond role
James Brolin recalled nearly playing James Bond, but Roger Moore changed his mind
Television icon James Brolin, who has won a Primetime Emmy and two Golden Globes in his six-decade-long career, recently reflected on the time he was nearly cast as James Bond.
Brolin turned 85 last week.
Speaking to PEOPLE, the actor recalled being offered the chance to play 007 in his early 40s.
He explained that he was approached for the role in 1983’s Octopussy when Roger Moore had reportedly said he would not return for another Bond film.
Plans, however, changed at the last minute.
“He was out, so I flew over and I met all the people. I got my apartment and started working with the stuntmen, and Cubby Broccoli hired me,” Brolin recalled.
However, he said that no formal contract or paperwork was ever signed.
“I got back to L.A. to get my stuff because I was going to be gone for a year,” he added. “And I got a call saying Roger decided to do one more, and I was out.”
At that point in his career, Brolin was still trying to figure out what direction suited him best. Not long after, he landed the role of George Lutz in the original The Amityville Horror.
“Amityville was the biggest-grossing independent film of all time, and nobody knew what to do with me, because of the character,” he noted.
Brolin also shared that he once turned down a major superhero role.
“I got offered [the first] Superman and turned it down because I couldn’t see myself being hung up on wires in a big red sock. It just wasn’t the direction I wanted to go,” he said.
