Dick Van Dyke Regrets Turning Down This Iconic Film Role

Dick Van Dyke is known for playing the lovable goofball on TV and in films — but the legendary actor said he regrets turning down a very different type of role in an iconic film franchise.

During an interview with Today that aired on November 18, Van Dyke, who turns 100 on December 13, dished on one of his only regrets in his seven-decade career.

Following the success of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Van Dyke confirmed he had a chance to play Agent 007 on the heels of Sean Connery leaving the role.

“Is it true you could have almost become James Bond?” Al Roker asked.

“I almost did. They came to me and said, ‘Would you like to be Bond?’ And I said, ‘Have you heard my British accent?'”

Van Dyke told Roker that he still regrets turning down the opportunity to play James Bond. However, he was concerned that the audience wouldn’t have “accepted it” from him, as the role was such a huge switch-up from his characters in The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The 99-year-old did acknowledge that it would “have been a great experience.”

Ultimately, many other actors went on to play 007 after Connery. George Lazenby starred in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), followed by Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and others in official and unofficial Bond films.

As far as a role that he’d still like to take on, Van Dyke shared, “I’d like to be Scrooge. I always wanted to play Scrooge, and I could do it. It’s just November. I’ve still got time.”

Van Dyke also shared that he has no plans of retiring as he approaches his 100th birthday, telling Roker that he’s “looking for work right now.”

His book 100 Rules for Living to 100 was officially released on November 18.