Richard Madden feels "flattered" to have been linked with the role of James Bond.
Richard Madden
The 32-year-old actor - who recently starred in the hit TV series 'Bodyguard' - has been heavily linked with the iconic role in recent months, and Richard has suggested he'd love to become the man who replaces Daniel Craig as 007.
He said: "I'm more than flattered to be mentioned, for people to consider putting me in that role. I'm very flattered and thankful. It's a really brilliant thing to be in."
Asked whether he would rule out the possibility of playing Bond, Richard explained: "I don't want to curse anything by saying anything. I think that's the curse of that. If you talk about it, you'll curse it."
However, Richard insisted he hasn't been offered the role - as had previously been rumoured - and he's sure he's just one of many actors who will be linked with the coveted role.
He told British GQ magazine: "Everyone just loves the rumour mill on that topic. I'm just the current one. There'll be a different one next week."
Meanwhile, Idris Elba - who has also been linked with the sought-after role - previously claimed the world isn't ready for the first black James Bond.
The London-born actor is interested in playing 007, but he doesn't think cinemagoers around the world want to see a black man play the character.
Idris said: "I think in England we have reached that stage [of having a black James Bond] because culturally we're sort of a lot more diverse.
"But the rest of the world is not like that and I think there is a real sort of stigma. It's like, 'Oh he's black, can he do it because he's black?'"
Tagged in Daniel Craig Idris Elba Richard Madden