Quentin Tarantino ranks all the James Bond actors
Quentin Tarantino has developed a strong reputation in popular culture as an unapologetic cinephile. Ranging from low-budget Asian monster flicks to Hollywood blockbusters, Tarantino has watched it all. Over the years, the American auteur has expressed his love for a lot of franchises, but the James Bond movies hold a special place in his heart.
After Daniel Craig announced that he would no longer play Bond following No Time to Die, there have been rampant speculations about the next iteration of the iconic spy. While some fans have advocated for the casting of Idris Elba, others have maintained that Henry Cavill was born to play the coveted role.
Although details about the next James Bond are still ambiguous, the rich history of the franchise always invites fans to revisit some of the older gems. During a Q&A session with Empire, Quentin Tarantino was also asked to name some of his favourite renditions of James Bond.
While listing his personal ranking for the role, Tarantino maintained that Sean Connery was the greatest Bond of all time. The filmmaker said: “Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, then just a little under him, Roger Moore. And then everybody else. Connery’s at the top, but I really, really like Pierce Brosnan.”
Although Tarantino loved Brosnan’s work, he pointed out that he didn’t like the films featuring the actor. Tarantino added: “I didn’t care for the movies that they put him in, which I always thought was a bit of a tragedy, because I thought he was a very legitimate Bond. I’m a huge Roger Moore fan — I just like Roger Moore a little better when he’s not playing Bond.”
Tarantino might have put Connery as his number-one pick, but that’s not what he told Pierce Brosnan. While talking to Esquire, Brosnan recalled how Tarantino approached him after the release of Kill Bill Vol. 2 and pitched him a James Bond movie which would star Brosnan.
According to the actor, Tarantino was quite animated. Brosnan said: “He was pounding the table, saying, ‘You’re the best James Bond, I wanna do James Bond!’ And it was very close quarters in the restaurant, and I thought, please calm down, but we don’t tell Quentin Tarantino to calm down.” Unfortunately, the Tarantino-Brosnan collaboration never ended up happening.
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