Antony Starr’s bizarre James Bond audition leaks and The Boys fans need to watch it

Here’s something you didn’t expect to see today: Antony Starr, best known for playing Homelander in The Boys, auditioning for James Bond. Let’s just say, it’s left some fans shaken and others stirred.

It’s been almost four years since Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 came to an end in No Time to Die. It capped off a historic run as Bond: 15 years, five movies, and unlike his predecessors, each entry was connected (for better or worse).

It’s unclear when we’ll get another entry in the franchise, and it seems like Barbara Broccoli and co. are no further ahead in their search for the next Bond (despite Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s connection to the role).

In the meantime, Ron South on YouTube has been leaking past auditions for the role; more specifically, actors doing screen tests for Casino Royale.

You can watch Antony Starr’s James Bond screen test now

As part of Starr’s screen test, he performed a scene from GoldenEye where Pierce Brosnan’s Bond meets Xenia Onotopp for the first time at a casino in Monte Carlo.

Starr’s performance isn’t a million miles away from Brosnan, though there are two differences: his natural accent (Starr comes from New Zealand) slips through occasionally, and his delivery is notably smilier (not quite as wink-wink as Roger Moore, but less icy than Brosnan’s approach to some of the lines).

It is quite jarring, given the actor’s most famous role is one of the most despicable supervillains we’ve ever seen on TV. Understandably, people don’t know what to make of it.

“Out of all the ones you’ve uploaded so far, Starr seems to be the best fit in my eyes,” one user commented, while another wrote: “He’s very nervous and not confident. Not Bond.”

Another viewer argued that he played it more like Moore than Brosnan or Craig, and a fourth simply wrote: “He sucks as James Bond.”

Starr has never spoken about his Bond audition in any interviews. Unfortunately, much like Idris Elba and Henry Cavill, he’s probably too old for another chance (he’s 49, and the producers have already said they’ll want at least 10 years out of the next actor).

In the meantime, you can find out everything we know about Bond 26 and Mads Mikkelsen’s pick for the next 007.