Tom Ellis has revealed that Pierce Brosnan told him he would make a good James Bond, but the 47-year-old actor believes he is now too old for the role. Ellis, who plays a rebellious spy in the new police drama CIA, shared the anecdote during an interview about his latest television project.
From Lucifer to CIA: A New Espionage Role
In CIA, Ellis portrays Colin Glass, a British spy described as an 'enigmatic tinderbox of many things that he has to sit on'. The Welsh actor told Metro that his interest in the role grew as he researched the Central Intelligence Agency: 'The more research I did about the CIA, the more interested I was in playing him.'
The show's writers' room included a couple of ex-operatives who advised on storylines. Ellis said his overwhelming takeaway from their input was disbelief: 'I can't believe that they actually do the things they do and they put themselves in the situations that they do. You have to be kind of like a sociopath to work in this department.'
He also noted the personal toll of the job, saying: 'The big thing that really resonated with me was the lonely existence that it is. You can't tell your family about it, your inner circle of trust is maybe one or two people, so you don't have any relief from it. How that makes people behave… I find it fascinating.'
British Accent Kept as 'Perfect Cover'
Colin Glass was originally written as an American character, but after meeting Ellis, creator Dick Wolf decided the actor should keep his British accent. Ellis admitted he had doubts: 'I wasn't sure if that was the right call, to be honest. My question was, do they have British people in the CIA? And Dick actually said it doesn't matter because it's the perfect cover.'
The decision also added to the 'conflict' between Colin and his FBI counterpart Bill Goodman, played by Nick Gehlfuss. Ellis explained that the dynamic stems from the British tendency to 'take everyone down a peg'.
Ellis drew comparisons between the show and the James Bond franchise, noting that 007 is typically pictured 'doing all these incredible missions and all these beautiful women, and that is the TV and film version of spying'. In contrast, CIA aims for a more 'realistic' approach: 'We do have a bit of that in the show, but we're trying to ground it as much as possible in what the reality of working in the CIA is.'
Pierce Brosnan's Bond Endorsement
Ellis recently worked with Pierce Brosnan on Richard Osman's Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, released last year, in which he played Brosnan's son. When asked if Brosnan gave him any spy advice, Ellis said: 'No, he didn't. But he did tell me he thought I'd make a good Bond, and I was like, "Pierce, I think I'm probably too old now. But I'll take it from you, mate. I'll take it from you."'
Although Ellis has not been named among the contenders to take over the Bond mantle, the actor's past role as Lucifer Morningstar remains a significant part of his career. It has been five years since that show ended, and about a year ago he said he would 'never say never' to reprising the character, but that the time was not right.
Lucifer's Legacy and a Possible Miranda Revival
Ellis reflected on the challenge of playing a character for a long time, calling it a 'double-edged sword'. He said: 'When I first got into acting, I really enjoyed the variety of playing a different character. And then you get the privilege of playing someone for a long time, and it's so much fun to do that. You're just so relaxed in the process, and it becomes second nature to you.'
He added: 'But I want to be acting for the rest of my life, and I want to be doing the variety side of it still. I did Lucifer for six years. We did 93 episodes, and I was ready to finish.'
However, five years later, Ellis finds himself missing the continuity of a long-running role: 'I miss working with the same people all the time, and I really miss the continuity of that aspect of life, leading a set and having a positive input. So when CIA came up, I thought maybe it's time to do something for a long time again. I won't want to play Colin Glass forever either. I feel very privileged to be doing it right now.'
Ellis also discussed the possibility of reviving his character Gary Preston from the sitcom Miranda, which ended 11 years ago with Gary and Miranda tying the knot. He said he and Miranda Hart have discussed the idea, but noted: 'The thing that I really admire about Miranda is that she won't do something for the sake of doing it.'
More than a decade later, he imagines Gary and Miranda 'probably have a few children' and are dealing with the 'insanity' of parenting while 'living their best life together'. He said of the show: 'It's iconic, and people still revisit it. It's timeless, and it's so funny. You can't help but laugh and love those characters, and I feel it was a big point in my life when doing that show, and I have so much affection for it and for her. That will never go away.'
CIA is available to watch on Sky Witness and NOW.
