Jack Lowden has addressed rumours that he will be the new James Bond, calling the speculation "flattering".
The Scottish actor, who currently stars as a spy in drama Slow Horses, is currently the bookies' favourite to take over from Daniel Craig as 007.
It was reported by Deadline last month that Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O'Connor were all undergoing screen tests, along with an unnamed fourth actor.
Lowden's response to the rumours
Speaking to GQ about the auditioning process, the 36-year-old said: "On this… it's all very flattering. It's nice to be mentioned – for any role – and I'm just not really going to add to the noise."
Lowden said the endless guesswork which has taken the internet by storm is "very nice".
"Gary's a sweetheart – it's particularly lovely, coming from someone like him. But I don't really listen to it."
Oldman's support for Lowden
His Slow Horses co-star Gary Oldman has publicly thrown his support behind Lowden, saying that his "fingers are crossed for him".
"It's been rumoured that [Lowden is] on the shortlist," Oldman said back in September. "They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack," he said, though Oldman later clarified that he had simply heard a rumour after his comments sent Bond speculation into overdrive.
Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, he said: "There's six people on a shortlist. I heard a rumour that they've picked James Bond, but they haven't announced it yet, which is their prerogative."
"So I do not know [who has got the part], but I'm hoping it's Jack."
The search for the next 007
Speculation has been rife as to who will become the next iteration of the iconic spy, after Craig left the franchise after No Time To Die in 2021.
Casting for the next James Bond film, which is the first to be made under Amazon MGM Studios, finally got underway in May.
Casting director Nina Gold teased that the team were looking for an actor who "oozes sex appeal". Producer Amy Pascal recently said the new Bond actor might be revealed by the "end of the year".
"I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different," she added.
