Owen Turned Down 007 Over Connery Fears

6th Feb 2006

British hearth-throb CLIVE OWEN rejected the role of suave superspy JAMES BOND because he was terrified of following in idol SIR SEAN CONNERY's footspteps.

The 41-year-old was hotly tipped to beat DANIEL CRAIG to the famous tuxedo-clad role in latest 007 offering CASINO ROYALE, but was convinced his performance would not match the standard set by sexy Scot Connery.

He tells Glamour magazine, "Playing James Bond would have been like entering a golden prison, and I doubt that would have suited me.

"I may be the only actor who consistently said, 'No, no and no'.

"I never understood what I would have been able to add to the role, or how I could play a character who has already been defined in the past. For me, Sean Connery is the real James Bond."