A popular British actor named Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù has been mentioned numerous times in the conversation to become the new James Bond, but he’s not holding his breath.
Dìrísù, who was born in London and has Nigerian parents, caught the world’s attention with the first season of the crime thriller Gangs of London, which aired in the UK in 2020 and stateside in 2021 courtesy of AMC Plus. He plays an undercover cop in the series, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to see him as a secret agent.
In just the first episode of the show, Dìrísù’s character Elliot Finch punches his way through a pub using everything around him, including pint glasses and a dart. This type of symmetry makes it easy for people to imagine him as 007.
The actor said talk of him potentially becoming Bond started when he was just a 15-year-old, according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I played Macbeth in a school play and my best friend was like, ‘Hey, you’d be a great Bond,’” he said. As he continued in his career the talk continued, especially after appearances in The Huntsman: Winter’s War and the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.”
“It’s something that has crept up over time. But then you do a Gangs of London, and the world gets to see you.” There’s actually a bet going by U.K. bookmakers with candidates of who could become the next iteration of Bond, and sometimes he gets really good odds.
“I think the shortest I’ve ever been at any one time is 6 to 1, and that’s too close,” he said. “I think Bond is the kingmaker — rather than [that] someone who is already king gets to be Bond. So yeah, the shorter the odds are, the less likely it’s going to happen.”
He also said he understood that both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig were both longshots for the role. Despite this, he thinks he would be good at the role, maybe even great, but he understands it’s out of his hands.
“If they’re thinking, he’d be a great Bond, I can change the character in my head to fit him and I think he’d do it justice, it’s a vote of confidence that I really appreciate,” he said. “But then any frustration comes the fact that I remember it’s not in my control. I can only do my best work and see what I get offered.”
In the meantime, you can see Dìrísù in the first season of Gangs of London on AMC Plus. Season 2 premieres on Nov. 17.