GOSSIP & RUMORS: Henry Golding reveals why playing James Bond is ‘every actor’s kind of nightmare’

The name is Golding… Henry Golding.

And he has some strong opinions on playing the next Martini-sipping 007.

“I think that’s every actor’s kind of nightmare,” Golding, 38, told People on Wednesday about taking on the role of James Bond. “But at the same time, [you’re] also wanting to kind of add something new to a franchise.”

“Why can’t they bring out more agents or more OO’s?” asked the “Old Guard 2” star. “I think that would be so much more fun, because there just isn’t the restraints and the expectation.”

Despite his views on the franchise, Golding confessed, “Maybe I’m just a p—y. I don’t know. But I think I would love it so much more if there wasn’t that overhanging cultural pressure.”

James Bond was created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming and the film franchise launched in 1962 with Sean Connery as Bond in “Dr. No.”

Other Bonds include David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton.

Pierce Brosnan brought the debonair 007 to life in four films from 1995 to 2002, while Daniel Craig took on the British Secret Service agent from 2006 to 2021.

In 2022, the “Queer” actor, 57, revealed why it was the right time for him to step away from the movies.

“Two things, one for myself and one for the franchise,” Craig told the Los Angeles Times. “One, for the franchise, was that resets start again, which [the franchise] did with me. And I was like, ‘Well, you need to reset again.’ So let’s kill my character off and go find another Bond and go find another story. Start at [age] 23, start at 25, start at 30.”

Not only did the star leave the franchise, but the original Bond producers, Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson, relinquished creative control of the films to Amazon MGM Studios for a reported $1 billion in February. 

Since the star went on his final adventure as Bond in 2021’s “No Time to Die,” rumors have continued to swirl over who would portray the hero next.

On Wednesday, the studio announced that Denis Villeneuve would direct the upcoming film. 

“I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” the French-Canadian filmmaker, 57, shared in a statement. “I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor.”

Spearheading the franchise are Amy Pascal and David Heyman.

Then, on Thursday, English actor Matthew Goode revealed his cheeky run-in with the franchise.

“I didn’t audition. I went in and met Barbara [Broccoli],” Goode said while on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, “but it was quite a funny one because — and she’s gorgeous and just a lovely, lovely person — she was like, ‘So what’s your idea for Bond?’”

The “Dept. Q” star, 47, didn’t hold back in sharing his vision.

“I was like, ‘My idea for Bond. We’ve gotta take it back to the books, you know? Really, we absolutely have to make this guy an alcoholic, a drug addict. He hates himself. He hates women. He hates a lot of people. He’s in deep pain. He’s brilliant at killing people.’”

Goode reflected on his answer, sharing on the podcast: “I think by the end of the interview, she was like, ‘Mhmm. Next.’ I wanted to make it really dark.”

In May, former Bond girl Denise Richards, who starred in 1999’s “The World Is Not Enough” with Brosnan, 72, gave her thoughts on the next man to suit up.

“I really don’t even know,” the Bravo star, 54, told The Post about who should play the handsome spy. “I don’t even know who is in the mix. I know they will cast someone amazing.”

Brosnan, meanwhile, had one condition, noting in March that it’s a “given” that Bond must be British.

“History has been passed on and I’m very proud to have been part of the history and the legacy of Bond,” the Irish actor added, “and the movies that I made with Barbara and Michael.”