Richard Madden has played down rumours that he will replace Daniel Craig as 007.
In a new interview with Elle, the Scottish actor lamented the fickle news cycle that surrounds the search for a new Bond.
Daniel Craig is hanging up his blood-splattered tuxedo after 007’s forthcoming adventure, set for release next year, and every handsome British actor in possession of a nice suit has had to fend off relentless Bond questions as a result.
Madden is currently the bookies favourite at 3/1, ahead of Tom Hiddleston, Cillian Murphy and Idris Elba, thanks to his stand-out performance in the BBC drama, Bodyguard.
But when ELLE asked about the rumours that surrounded him, Madden simply replied: “It’s all just noise”
“By March [it’s not specified when this interview took place], there will be another British TV show with another young male actor, and then he’ll be the next James Bond for the following two months.”
While Madden has never ruled himself out of the role, he’s not just waiting by the phone either. He revealed to Elle that he’s enjoying the amount of choice that Bodyguard’s trans-Atlantic success has afforded him.
“I feel quite free at the moment. If I’m going to be reading scripts for two months, I’d rather sit by the pool than sit in a pub in East London.”
There's a long time to go until Barbara Broccoli and the Bond team have to decide on a replacement, and Madden's prediction will no doubt repeat itself many times over.
Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is the latest big name to rise through the bookies' rankings. His odds were slashed from 125/1 to 9/4 over the course of a few months after a flurry of bets for the Irishman.
In the interview, Madden also revealed that he doesn't "associate" himself with Robb Stark, the character he played in Game of Thrones for three seasons.
"It’s weird because they talk about Robb Stark, and I don’t associate myself with it anymore," he explained. "But then I remember, “Oh, that’s me, I played that part.”
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