Sam Taylor-Johnson addresses latest James Bond rumours about her husband

Sam Taylor-Johnson has addressed speculation that her husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson is set to be the next actor to play James Bond, saying: “Carry on speculating. He’d be great.”

It was widely reported earlier this month that Eon Productions have offered Aaron Taylor-Johnson a contract to replace Daniel Craig as 007.

Appearing on this week’s episode of talk show The Jonathan Ross Show, Sam Taylor-Johnson responded to the host’s questions by joking that the rumours should be about her. “You mean that I might direct a Bond film?” she said. “The first woman director.”

Sam Taylor-Johnson, 57, first met her husband, 33, when she directed him in the 2009 John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. They have since worked together again on the 2018 adaptation of James Frey’s semi-fictional book A Million Little Pieces.

“It’s really interesting,” the director told Ross. “When I directed Nowhere Boy, he wasn’t my husband. When I directed A Million Little Pieces he was.”

“He gets very intense,” she continued. “It’s quite interesting depending on what character he’s playing.

“Nocturnal Animals for example, was very hard. He was not washing, his nails were really long, he was drinking and he was watching a lot of serial killer documentaries. He wanted to be toxic from the inside in order to play such a toxic character. There was one morning when he woke up and thought the bed was on fire but we were actually saging him.”

Sam Taylor-Johnson was appearing on the show to discuss her new Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, which is set to be released in the UK on 12 April and in the US on 17 May.

The film stars Industry actor Marisa Abela as the late singer, with Taylor-Johnson saying of her casting: “I had all these young women sitting outside coming in, and most of them had come in, in some shape or form with either a hoop earring or cat eye or something.

“Marisa had none of that – she came in as herself but she was the first person in the room. I was fiddling around with the camera, chatting with the casting director and I just looked in the lens and Marisa looked up and she completely transformed. She hadn’t even said anything. I thought, ‘That’s her.’”

Earlier this week, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan gave his verdict on Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s chances of playing Bond.

Brosnan, 70, also portrayed the father of Taylor-Johnson’s character in the 2009 family drama The Greatest.

“He was the greatest in [The Greatest]. So, yes, I read the news about his possibilities of being a Bond, so I would definitely tip my hat to the fellow,” said Brosnan. “I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so.”