James Bond We Lost: The Reason Liam Neeson Never Played 007 is Kinda… Lovely

The first actor to try on the iconic Bond suit was Sean Connery. And after that, a whole bunch of A-list actors tried to fill his shoes.

They include George Lazenby, the one and only Roger Moore, who did 7 Bond movies, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, who did 4 movies.

The most recent Bond was Daniel Craig, who played in 5 movies and made quite an impression.

Still, many other actors got the call over the years and could have played Bond at least once – even huge stars like Clint Eastwood, Sam Neill and Hugh Jackman.

However, fans feel that the fact that we didn't get them as Bonds in the end is not really a big loss. But there is one wasted opportunity that still bugs many: the fact we still never got to see Liam Neeson with the Walther PPK in his hand.

The thing is, Neeson was offered the role even before it went to Pierce Brosnan, as he revealed in the interview with Rolling Stone.

Who's to blame, then? Well… Neeson's wife.

"They looked at a bunch of actors. Schindler's List had come out and Barbara Broccoli had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested, and I said, "Yes, I would be interested."

And then my lovely wife, god rest her soul, said to me while we were shooting Nell down in the Carolinas, "Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we're not getting married."

So I would tease her by going behind her back, making my fingers as though I'm holding a gun, and then [hums the James Bond theme]. I loved doing that sh*t!" the actor shared.

Still, fans today think it's a shame that Liam never got to play Bond. And of course it's fair to say that he had to choose what was best for his family, but it's still fascinating to think what an incredible 007 he would have made.

But you know what? It's never too late. In fact, maybe now it would be even better to cast Liam Neeson as Bond, because his filmography is packed with heroic roles… of course, if his wife doesn't mind.