Taron Egerton Says He’s Not 'Right' for James Bond After Tropfest Red Carpet Appearance

Taron Egerton told a red carpet audience that he does not see himself stepping into the role of James Bond, a stance he reiterated while attending Tropfest in Sydney. The comment arrives as audiences revisit his work — most notably the 2015 underdog film Eddie the Eagle — and as the Winter Olympics and streaming recommendations have renewed interest in British sporting stories.

Taron Egerton on James Bond and his own career

Egerton — a leading young British actor best known for roles in Rocketman and the Kingsman series — said plainly, "I don't think I'm right for James Bond, " and added that he has "never felt that that was me. " He described his path as "less… kind of grand and idealised, " and has previously declined to pursue the part. In a 2025 interview he told interviewers he would not put his name forward for Amazon's new iteration of the franchise, saying, "No. And I don't think I'm a good choice for it. I think I'm too messy for that. " He praised the character and singled out "particularly Daniel Craig's tenure, " but concluded that taking the role now "would be wasted on me, probably. "

Tropfest return at Centennial Park and the jury lineup

Egerton made these remarks on the red carpet as Tropfest returned to Sydney's Centennial Park on Sunday, February 22. He was part of a star-studded jury that included director James Cameron, who participated virtually, Australian filmmaker Danny Philippou, Succession actor Sarah Snook, producer Bruna Papandrea, First Nations director Dylan River and Tropfest President Margot Robbie. The festival awarded its top prize to Lianne Mackessy of Sydney, NSW, for her film Crescendo, which the jury described as "absolutely pitch perfect. "

Eddie the Eagle and the 1988 Calgary Olympics

Interest in Egerton's earlier roles has been amplified by a weekly streaming recommendation spotlight that suggests one roughly two-hour film to watch — and this week it highlighted Eddie the Eagle, the 2015 comedy-drama in which Egerton portrays British ski jumper Eddie Edwards. The film traces Edwards' rise from an Olympics-obsessed youngster to a competitor at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where Britain entered a ski-jumping competitor for the first time. Edwards finished dead last in two separate events at those Games and earned the enduring nickname "Eddie the Eagle. "

Casting, production and character choices

The Eddie the Eagle project had been in the works for close to a decade; early attachments included Steve Coogan and Rupert Grint before Egerton was ultimately cast. Director Dexter Fletcher led a cast that also features Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken and Jo Hartley. In the film Jackman plays Bronson Peary, an eccentric, fictional American coach and former ski jumper who had been ousted from the sport. Egerton has said he wanted to challenge the folklore around Edwards, arguing that Edwards "wasn't an idiot" and pushing back against the popular perception of the real man.

Reception, accuracy and streaming availability

Critics and viewers have steadily responded to the film: it holds an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 3. 5/5 on Letterboxd and a 7. 3/10 on IMDb. The film is currently available to stream for free on iPlayer. Edwards himself cautioned that many of the movie's events were invented for dramatic effect; while his status as a cult sporting figure is real, the film exercises clear poetic licence to shape an underdog story. The result, reviewers note, is a warm, cheerful movie built on the chemistry between Egerton and Jackman, portraying two driven oddballs pursuing their own version of sporting success even if it will not bring a podium finish.

Britons' renewed appetite for winter-sport entertainment comes against the backdrop of the Winter Olympics unfolding in Italy, where Team GB has recorded a haul of three gold medals — the most the nation has ever achieved at the winter games. What makes this notable is how a real-world spike in interest can lift back-catalogue films and reshape the conversation around an actor's past roles, bringing Egerton's portrayal of an unlikely British hero back into view.

Across his public remarks, Egerton has been consistent: he rejects the notion that Bond is his trajectory, emphasizes the particular strengths of performers who might take the mantle, and continues to promote stories that recast underestimated figures — both in the festival circuit at Tropfest and on streaming platforms.