Everyone has their own favourite to take on the role of James Bond, with several celebrities publicly backing their preferred contenders in recent weeks.
As the Bond race heats up, with new names still being added to the mix, a high-profile endorsement could give some candidates a boost.
Luckily for Jack Lowden, one of the long-running frontrunners for the coveted role, his famous friends have not been shy about giving their opinion on his casting as 007 in Denis Villeneuve’s forthcoming film.
The latest to advocate for the actor is his Slow Horses co-star Olivia Cooke, who kept her recommendation brief but heartfelt. “It’d be great if he got it,” she told GQ in a recent interview. “I think he’d make an excellent Bond.”
The two actors have recently worked closely together as Cooke returned to season six of the hit Apple TV spy show after her character, Sid Baker, mysteriously exited in season one and was presumed dead this whole time.
Lowden appears to have sufficiently impressed his co-stars with his performance as MI5 agent River Cartwright, with Kristen Scott Thomas and Gary Oldman both also going to bat for him as Bond.
In September, Oldman said that his “fingers are crossed for Jack” and also suggested that producers had already made their choice on who to give the keys to the Aston Martin. Later, however, he clarified he had no inside knowledge of the casting decision.
Scott Thomas, meanwhile, publicly voiced her support for Lowden during an interview earlier this month. “Oh God, I wish I knew,” she said. “He’d be very, very good. He’s got that twinkle, he’s cheeky and he’s a very, very good actor.”
It’s worth noting, too, that casting director Nina Gold, who is overseeing the search for the next James Bond, had been the one to cast Lowden in Slow Horses.
One person who wouldn’t be drawn on his chances, however, is his wife, the Oscar-winning actor Saoirse Ronan. “We’re kinda getting on with our life, to be honest,” she said. “We have plenty of other things to be dealing with. So, yeah, it’s not really a subject that’s coming up in our house, to be honest. The dog needs to be walked, the dinner needs to be made – we’re most focused on that.”
Lowden isn’t the only one with his famous pals advocating for him, however, with fellow frontrunner Callum Turner also attracting endorsements from his The Only Living Boy in New York co-star and former 007 himself Pierce Brosnan.
The Irish actor said: “All the men who are on the list now are actors I admire. Callum Turner is someone I’ve worked with, and he’s so strong."
He added: “They all have a voice and a physique, and a presence on film. They all have longevity as actors, all of these young men.”
George Clooney also had some nice words to say about Turner, whom he directed in 2024’s sports drama The Boys in the Boat. “I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond,” said Clooney in June. “I think he would be a great Bond. He’s tall and handsome and charming and British, so he’s the perfect guy to do it.”
Other names reportedly in the running for the part include Josh O’Connor, Jacob Elordi, and newcomers to the race Nicholas Hoult and Robert Pattinson.
While the various rumoured frontrunners for Bond are keeping predictably schtum on their chances, there are a handful of actors who have been very vocal about their desire to play 007’s adversary, with Bill Skarsgård the latest to throw his hat in the ring.
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