Michael Jackson really wanted to play James Bond, if a new tell-all from agent Michael Ovitz is to be believed. In the book Who Is Michael Ovitz?, the superstar agent revealed that he struggled to keep a straight face while the King Of Pop plead his case to be cast as the world's most famous fictional spy in the '80s.
According to Metro, the singer emphatically told the agent and his business partner Ron Meyer that he wanted to play the famed spy. They held it together even as Jackson's hat fell in some guacamole that was in the room. However, they couldn't keep the poker face going.
"Then the blob fell off, and Ron totally lost it," Ovitz wrote. "I cracked up, too, and Michael stalked out. I found him and explained for 15 minutes that we hadn’t been laughing at him... Finally, Michael’s face cleared. 'OK, Ovitz. OK,' he said. 'But I want to play James Bond.' I am proud to report I didn’t laugh, this time."
Ovitz eventually turned Jackson away from the idea by pointing out the builds of previous Bonds and how they compared to his lanky frame. Ovitz said he told Jackson that he was "thinly built" and "too sensitive," adding that he wouldn't "be credible as a brutal block of stone."
Had Jackson had his way, he would have been the first black actor to play James Bond. Decades later, a black actor still has yet to play the iconic spy, though Idris Elba is frequently tagged as a possible candidate for the role. The folks behind 007 are currently working on the 25th installment in the series with Cary Fukunaga directing.
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