'Outlander' star Sam Heughan recalls 'surreal' James Bond audition

In an interview last Tuesday, Sam Heughan talked about the scene he did for his James Bond audition and meeting producer Barbara Broccoli and director Martin Campbell.

The "Outlander" star was one of the hopefuls when Broccoli and Campbell ("Casino Royale" ) were casting for the titular lead. He was put under consideration when he auditioned in October 2005. The role, of course, went to Daniel Craig and he has been donning the suit and tie for several years now.

Talking about his audition then, Heughan said he met with Broccoli and Campbell and they did a scene involving a 1974 prop. They had the gun from the Roger Moore film "The Man with the Golden Gun." He remembered it being "surreal" seeing the weapon there on the table.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is incredible'. It was surreal. He's a character we've all grown up with," Heughan shared in an interview with RadioTimes about his new film "SAS: Red Notice."

Heughan may not have played James Bond then, but he did not rule out another audition if given the chance. Craig's stint as the British spy ends with "No Time To Die," which arrives later this year. Pundits have been putting bets on their favourite action star following news of the 60-year-old's exit from the franchise after a 15-year run.

Among those in the running to play James Bond include Idris Elba ("Luther"), Tom Hardy ("Mad Max: Fury Road"), James Norton ("Mr. Jones"), and of course, Heughan himself.

"I don't think any actor would ever say no. If I was asked to audition for it, I would be delighted," the 40-year-old Scottish star said when asked about giving James Bond another go.

Heughan expressed the same interest in a separate interview with Esquire. He said that "any actor would never say they're not interested."

"Of course, you'd be interested," he admitted.

However, he fears that all the rumours connecting him to James Bond might jinx his chances of landing the role. He thinks that Broccoli and the people who run the franchise "must be sick" already of people "sort of throwing their hat into the ring." Heughan admitted though that he finds the character a great and fascinating study.