has responded to rumours he is in the running to be cast as the next .
The actor became an international household name through the Fifty Shades of Grey series and has proved his versatility since, appearing inand scoring his .
For years, rumours have swirled over who could replace as 007, and these rumours have only intensified since Daniel’s last outing as the smooth-talking spy hit cinemas last year.
There’s the for the choice, then there’s hints at , and , and recently, Jamie himself.
But despite having proven himself as a talented actor, Jamie admits he is apprehensive at the public’s reaction to someone like him being cast in such an iconic role.
‘Look at the reaction when Rob [Pattinson] got cast as Batman. It was like 90 percent negative,’ he told , describing ‘prejudgement’ as a ‘f*****g disease’.
‘Daniel Craig got cast as James Bond—I mean that was 100 percent negative… It was actually disturbing when you see the f*****g venomous anger that people have over casting decisions.
‘And then guess what? Daniel Craig is f*****g brilliant, and it changes the whole energy of Bond. All the naysayers love what Rob has done with Batman.’
Despite this, he admits it is ‘a cool thing to be in the mix’ for the next Bond, but doesn’t appear to be taking the rumours too seriously.
With his name being tipped in everything from newspapers to betting rings, Jamie recalled: ‘I think there had been a short recently as eight to one or whatever, like people putting an actual bet on.
‘It’s just so silly really.’
Jamie’s latest high-profile project, a starring role in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, was lauded by critics and was nominated for no less than seven Academy Awards.
It went on to win as it clinched the award for best original screenplay.
The black-and-white film follows working-class Protestant family Ma and Pa (Caitriona Balfe and Jamie), and sons Buddy (Jude Hill) and Will (Lewis McAskie) in the 1960s as their lives are flipped upside down when conflict comes to their street at the start of The Troubles.
