Cillian Murphy has responded to James Bond role rumours.
The Oscar nominee made the comments on the green carpet of the Oscar Wilde party where former Bond Pierse Brosnan is being honoured.
The Irish actor is said to have caught the attention of producers with his critically acclaimed performance in Oppenheimer.
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Responding to the Bond rumours, Cillian said: “I think I’m a bit old for that.”
“I think that ship has sailed.”
The 47-year-old also gushed about former Bond, Pierce Brosnan and admitted he has looked up to him ever since his days on Remington Steele.
The Cork native is also the favourite to win Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards in Hollywood.
According to The Sun, the Bond bosses were keen for the Peaky Blinders star to take on the role of 007.
A source previously told the outlet: “Cillian is the toast of Hollywood right now and this would be the ultimate role.”
“This is a way to elevate the Bond franchise with an actor who is at the very top of his game.”
Clay Bunker who appeared opposite Cillian in Oppenheimer has supported the idea of the Irish actor taking on the iconic role.
He said: “He would fare beautifully. It’s funny because Cillian is the nicest human but he has that dark side and there’s a darkness to Bond.”
“We forget that sometimes Bond is like the character [Ian] Fleming created — a pretty dark character.”
“He just happens to be on the side that we call good. Cillian has that ability to tap into that.”
The actor has been nominated for Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards for his role in Oppenheimer.
The actor will go up against Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) in his category.
