Austin Butler drops shocking reason for not playing James Bond

Austin Butler recently revealed why he will not play the role of James Bond.

In a talk with Hits Radio UK, the 34-year-old American actor and singer opened up about the real reason behind his decision to not step into the role of James Bond.

Voicing his perspective, Butler shared it “would be kind of sacrilegious” for him to depict the British MI6 agent as a California-born-and-raised actor, even though he is willing to work again with his Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve, who will direct Bond 26.

“No calls as far as that goes, but I love that man. Would I play James Bond? I don’t think that would be a good idea. Because I’m an American. I can do an accent but that would be kind of sacrilegious,” he admitted.

The Oscar-nominated Elvis star went on to note, “Those movies meant so much to me, but I think that it’s gotta be somebody who is from [England].”

However, when he was asked about playing the villain in the fans’ favourite franchise, Butler said, “Villain? That would be alright. I’d do that.”

Notably, this comes after Glen Powell articulated his thoughts in a talk with The Hollywood Reporter that “A Texan should not play James Bond.”