Henry Cavill channels his inner James Bond in the new action movie Argylle, where he stars as a world-class superspy. And according to director Matthew Vaughn, it was The Witcher star’s Bond-like acting chops that made him cast the actor.
Speaking to the Inside Total Film podcast and 12DOVE, Vaughn explains: "A clichéd super spy is what I needed and there is no one on this planet who, if you read an Ian Fleming Bond book, is better for Bond than Henry Cavill."
The pair worked together previously on the 2007 fantasy film Stardust, but Vaughn adds there wasn’t a particular role that made him want to cast him. "No, I knew him [and] I thought he was really good in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," he replies to that, referencing Guy Ritchie’s 2015 movie where Cavill played a CIA agent. "[But] look at him, he's exactly what you deep down wish you could be."
Argylle follows a reclusive author called Elly Conway (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), known for her popular series of novels that star Cavill’s superspy as its lead. However, when her work gets too close to the truth about a real international spy syndicate, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur.
Just like Cavill, director Vaughn is no stranger to spy movies as the man behind the Kingsman movies, which star Taron Egerton and Colin Firth as gentleman spies. However, he admits that he’s not sure he’ll ever helm a James Bond movie himself.
"Never say never, but I doubt it very much," Vaughn adds when we bring it up. "I mean, I love Bond, Bond has been a huge influence on me as a human being, let alone as a director. But I think the Bond world is the [Barbara] Broccoli world, they're the master of that domain and I can't see them wanting me to be anywhere near it."
For our full interview with Vaughn, listen to this week’s edition of the Inside Total Film podcast, which is out now. We also talk about Sam Rockwell's dancing improv in Argylle, an update on the Cavill-led sequel, the film's PG-13 rating, and what's going on with the Kick-Ass reboot.
Argylle arrives in UK theaters on February 2 and US theaters on February 3, and here's our breakdown of the Argylle post-credits scene. Check out our guide to the best action movies and our picks for the next James Bond for more spy-related fun.
