Olly Rix fuels James Bond rumours – and reveals approval from Hollywood icon

Could Casualty star Olly Rix be the next James Bond? Hollywood icon Al Pacino and his photographer daughter Julie think so. 

In an exclusive chat with HELLO!, Olly revealed that Julie Pacino had included the former Call the Midwife actor in a photographic portfolio of who should take over the iconic role from Daniel Craig, who left the franchise in 2021 with his final film, No Time to Die. 

“Apparently, between them, it’s long been a family discussion of who they think should inherit the mantle of Bond,” explained Olly, who joins the likes of Tom Hardy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Taron Egerton, and Regé-Jean Page in the Pacinos’ line-up. 

“She’s doing a photographic portfolio at the tail end of the summer when they both come to London, of the actors that they think would do a great job in the role and and I’ve been asked to be a part of that. It’s lovely because the list is extraordinary,” he added.

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Olly’s near MI6 career

Olly went on to reveal that he was approached by the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service when he was a university student and began the vetting process before deciding to pursue a career in acting. 

“I actually started the security and vetting process for one of the Secret Intelligence Service agencies years ago,” said Olly. 

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“When I was leaving university, I was approached by them, because, like every young kid, I wasn’t quite sure which direction I wanted to go in life,” he explained. “I then got a scholarship to drama school, so I wrote to them, and I said, ‘Look, I’m sorry, but I actually think I want to be an actor and I’m going to go this way,’ and they wrote me the most amazing letter back, which I never expected. 

“It said, ‘We’ll be watching, and we look forward to seeing you assume the [James Bond] mantle one day‘. Which, coming from them, is so cool,” he added.

Olly’s role in Casualty

Olly portrays former Special Forces medic Flynn Byron in the long-running BBC drama. 

Opening up about the physical and weapons training he underwent for the role, Olly said: “I did so much training with some ex-Special Forces operators at a place called Andarta and Dark Prism.

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“They helped me with the physical stuff, showed me weapons handling and helped me gain an understanding of the world that Flynn comes from. It’s been extraordinary.”

Teasing the next series of Casualty, Olly added: “I’m taking some of that medical experience and military experience into the character of Flynn. That becomes very relevant in the series we’re about to start filming, where there’s a big military storyline.”

Casualty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.