Henry Cavill's audition to play 007 has been released online, and it gives us a hint at the Superman actor's take on the iconic character. In the video, which you can see below, Cavill reads scenes from Goldeneye, originally spoken by Pierce Brosnan's James Bond.
The audition from 2005 sees Cavill speak some classic lines, including his order of a "vodka martini, shaken not stirred" and that his name is "Bond, James Bond". The full video lasts about seven minutes in total and sees the star, who was in his early 20s at this point, act the scene several different times.
This is the first time we've seen the actual audition, but we've known for a long time that Cavill was one of the initial frontrunners for Bond. Speaking back in 2003, Casino Royale director Martin Campbell described his audition as "tremendous".
"He looked great in the audition," he told Express.co.uk. "His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then."
Cavill's audition isn't the only one released by the YouTube channel Ron South, with the Bond screen tests of Avatar's Sam Worthington, Pride and Prejudice star Rupert Friend, and The Boys actor Antony Starr all available to watch too. It's not clear exactly where the videos have come from.
The role of course went to Daniel Craig, who played the super spy in five films. For more on all things 007, check our guides to the best James Bond movies, ranked from worst to best and the best James Bond stunts.
