express– The role of James Bond is perhaps one of the most coveted roles of all time for British actors. Next year will see the release of 25th Bond film No Time To Die, which is doubly special as it will be the final outing for Daniel Craig as 007, after five films in the role. Since the announcement that Craig will be stepping down from his duties as the spy, all eyes have been on his potential replacements. Whilst rumours throughout the year have suggested Tom Hardy and Harry Styles may be taking the role, our eyes are pointed at prominent actor David Oyelowo OBE.
David has been seen on screen for the better part of 20 years, in some incredible productions including A United Kingdom, Selma, A Most Violent Year, and the BBC production of Les Miserables.
The actor’s latest venture has him starring in Come Away, a wonderful, ethereal reimagining of the fairy tales Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
Unfortunately the cinematic release of the fairy tale epic was cut short due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, prompting its digital release to be brought forward. The film is available to watch now.
Express.co.uk recently caught up with David on his work in Come Away, before the conversation turned to the possibility of him taking his turn as Bond.
The film follows the tragic journey of David’s Jack Littleton, and his wife, Rose Littleton (played by Angelina Jolie), who lose their child in a freak accident.
While Come Away delves into the realm of fantasy and classic historic fairy tale, it is grounded in a stark sense of reality that includes gambling, depression, abuse, and mental illness.
It is these aspects of the movie that differentiate Come Away from other pictures of the same genre.
David explained this was one of the key aspects that attracted him to the role of Jack in the first place, saying: “One of the reasons I wanted to do it is I have four kids myself, and there’s a lot of entertainment that is pure for enjoyment, purely for escapism, and then every now and again there’s a piece of entertainment that is both magical, and has more meaning to it.
“Especially when it comes to the kids, it doesn’t necessary patronise their feelings or their reality in the world that they also inhabit.”
During the discussion of these classic tales, the conversation turned to David possibly being placed in another iconic role – James Bond – however he was not keen to give up any major news.
On if he’ll be joining the franchise as the new 007 in the near future, David revealed: “I actually haven’t been asked that for a while. I thought it had gone away!”
When pressed on the subject, the star merely responded: “Well, [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli just sent me a basket for Christmas, so who knows! We’ll see, I don’t know.”
Although the star wouldn’t give any definitive answers to the inquiry, he happily gave his opinion on who he would like to see as the next Bond.
David coolly added: “I’d see Idris [Elba] as Bond. He’s my Bond.”
Going back to detail the strengths of his new film, Come Away, David added: “As much as I love watching things with my kids that are just pure entertainment, what I love about Come Away is that, kids do watch their families go through tough times.
“And, especially now, there are things that are going on that, I think it’s good to have films or content that can spark the conversation, or help kids realise that they are not alone.”
The 44-year-old also discussed the genre of the film, and noted that it doesn’t really adhere to any of the traditional cinema definitions.
“It’s a hard film to define,” David confessed. “In my business we’re very keen to box things, [for example] it’s a horror movie, it’s an action movie, it’s a drama, it’s a romantic comedy, it’s a family film.”
Referencing Come Away specifically, David said: “Sometimes it’s interesting to explore something that is harder to define.
“At its heart it is an origin story, if you like – a reimagined origin story of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Peter from Peter Pan.”
