Patrick McGoohan became a television icon after starring in one of the most loved sci-fi series of the 1960s. Yet an even bigger opportunity arrived before ‘The Prisoner‘ made him famous.
Producers wanted him to become the first James Bond, but McGoohan refused because he believed the character’s violent and promiscuous lifestyle clashed with his deeply held moral and religious values.
Patrick McGoohan Said No To James Bond Because Of His Religious Beliefs
When Eon Productions began casting ‘Dr. No‘, Patrick McGoohan emerged as one of the actors under consideration for James Bond. While many performers would have accepted the role without hesitation, McGoohan reached a different conclusion because the character did not align with the principles he lived by.
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Soon afterward, McGoohan created and starred in ‘The Prisoner‘, playing Number Six, a former intelligence agent trapped inside a mysterious seaside village where every move came under constant surveillance. Ironically, although audiences knew him for playing spies, he never wanted to portray cinema’s most famous secret agent.
Moreover, McGoohan, a devout Catholic, strongly objected to Bond’s reputation for violence and casual relationships. Speaking to The New York Times, he said television “has an insidious and powerful influence on children. Would you like your son to grow up like James Bond?” He also described the character by saying, “Bond, I really think, is a sort of cartoon-strip fantasy, with morals that I find questionable.”
Bond Producer Explained Why McGoohan Walked Away
Later, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli discussed McGoohan’s decision in his autobiography ‘When the Snow Melts‘. Although Broccoli believed the actor had everything needed to play 007, he also understood why McGoohan chose to decline the offer. As a result, Sean Connery secured the role and went on to turn James Bond into one of the biggest names in movie history after Dr. No became a huge success.
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McGoohan applied similar standards long before ‘The Prisoner‘. For example, while signing on for the spy drama ‘Danger Man‘, he insisted John Drake would never behave like a womanizer or rely on firearms to complete missions.
Years later, director David Cronenberg also experienced McGoohan’s uncompromising personality during the production of ‘Scanners.’ According to Cronenberg, actress Jennifer O’Neill arrived “incredibly distraught and said, ‘Patrick said, ‘Are you a wh—? Are you a s—?’ And he started to lay into her because she’d had, like, five husbands.“
Even though Cronenberg described McGoohan as “probably the most difficult actor I ever worked with,” he still praised the actor’s talent. Ultimately, McGoohan remained committed to his personal convictions throughout his career, even when doing so meant turning down one of Hollywood’s most iconic roles.
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