In 2006, Daniel Craig became the most ground-breaking James Bond in the franchise's long, storied history. Craig was the grittiest Bond we'd seen on screen, bringing humanity, realism, and a certain emotional depth to a character who'd become a caricature of itself. He was also the shortest.
At five-foot-ten (according to the internet, so take it with a grain of salt), Craig was the first Bond to be shorter than six feet tall. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and Timothy Dalton, the tallest Bonds, are all listed as six-foot-two.
But Tom Holland would be honoured to succeed Craig and break his height record as shortest Bond.
In a new interview with Variety he explained that he would love to play 007, despite his vertical challenge. "I mean, ultimately, as a young British lad who loves cinema, I'd love to be James Bond," Holland said. "So, you know, I'm just putting that out there. I look pretty good in a suit."
"I'd be like a really short James Bond," he added.
As a young, attractive, British action star who indeed looks good in a suit, Holland pretty much checks all the boxes required of being James Bond. Certainly his tenure as Spider-Man, and his background as a dancer, makes him a prime candidate in terms of physical requirements for the job, other than his height.
Plus, thanks to the magic of movies, it's hard to imagine anyone complaining that Holland is only five-foot-eight. And, anyway, one could assume the shortness thing working in a spy's favour. He could sneak through tight spaces, never stand out in a crowd, and, hell, maybe even be a harder target to hit (?).
He'd just have to hope he never has to defuse a bomb on a really high shelf.
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Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
