Mark Strong refutes No Country casting rumour

Syriana star Mark Strong has refuted rumours that he turned down Javier Bardem’s iconic hit man assassin role in No Country For Old Men.

“The film I originally turned down was Body Of Lies,” he told us in an upcoming interview.

“In fact I was phoned one weekend and told, ‘Listen Javier’s dates don’t work,’ so for a few days I was thinking, ‘Wow, I ‘m actually going to work with the Coen brothers.’

“I’m appalled at rumour is out there because it makes me out to be a complete idiot,” he added. “Like, why the hell would you turn that part down? I would knee on broken glass to work with them.”

We'd agree. And add that we'd probably crawl on broken glass just to have a chat to them.

For more from Mark Strong, check out the next issue of Total Film magazine (on sale March 5)

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