The surprising actresses that almost played Bond Girls

The role of Vesper Lynd in 2006's Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond, was at once highly sought after and also as contagious as the plague. While many stars vied for the part, some turned it down due to the potential ramifications on their career's momentum, plus the role's intense physical training requirements and anti-hero storyline. One of those stars was reportedly Catherine Zeta-Jones, at that point considered Hollywood royalty, just a few years out from her Oscar win for Chicago.

Another star who was in close contention for the role of Vesper was Rachel McAdams. The Mean Girls star turned down the part to focus on raising her family, she confirmed to Bustle. Others in consideration were Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Cécile de France, and Audrey Tautou, with Olivia Wilde generally seen as the runner-up for the role. Eventually, French actress Eva Green won out, jumpstarting her Hollywood career.

For 1965's Thunderball, Julie Christie was producer Albert R. Broccoli's first choice for the part, thanks to her breakout turn in 1963's Billy Liar. However, per the production notes, upon meeting her personally, he reportedly was displeased when it came to her suitability for the part and her specific look, and began then considering stars like Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway, before going with former Miss France Claudine Auger. All was not lost for Julie, though, who starred instead in the films Darling and Doctor Zhivago that same year, winning an Oscar for the former and earning a box office juggernaut with the latter.

For 1999's The World is Not Enough, Sophie Marceau wasn't always locked in to play Elektra King, one of the first choices being Sharon Stone, already an Oscar nominated actress by that point. Vera Farmiga was also considered, but the role eventually went to Sophie thanks to her gripping performance in 1997's Firelight.

For 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, the Italian Monica Bellucci went far enough in the process to conduct screen-tests with Pierce Brosnan, but was turned down because the producers wanted Paris Carver to be an American, to the Bond actor's dismay (which he confirmed to Playboy), due to the producers' greater focus on capitalizing on American star power at the time. Teri Hatcher went on to win the role, and nearly 20 years later, Monica was cast in 2015's Spectre, going on to become the oldest actress to play a Bond Girl at 50.

For 1985's A View to a Kill, Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley was originally cast in the role of Stacy Sutton. However, due to scheduling conflicts over her contract with Dallas, the role instead went to Tanya Roberts, per the 2015 book Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films.

For 1973's Live and Let Die, the first to star Roger Moore, writer Tom Mankiewicz originally wanted Solitaire to be a Black woman, with Diana Ross being his first choice. However, they decided to switch to Ian Fleming's description of Solitaire as white, and ended up going with Jane Seymour. Instead, Rosie Carver was then switched to Black, casting Gloria Hendry. While the decision to keep the lead Bond Girl as white did attract some criticism, Gloria broke ground as the first Black Bond Girl, followed by the likes of Grace Jones and Halle Berry.