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Sam Taylor-Wood, as she was back then, actually directed a young Aaron Johnson in his breakthrough movie, 2009’s Beatles biopic Nowhere Boy, when he was 18. They married three years later and have two daughters. He is also step-father to her two daughters from previous marriage to Jay Jopling.
Sam also directed him in 2018’s A Million Little Pieces, so she knows firsthand what a versatile and accomplished actor he is.
Aaron’s career was already heading for an all-time high this year after starring roles in Bullet Train and three upcoming films – Marvel blockbuster Kraven The Hunter, Nosferatu, and The Fall Guy alongside Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling.
But he could be set to eclipse all of these projects, and his glittering co-stars, after news of his casting as the next James Bond spread like wildfire last week.
An insider told The Sun: “Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. As far as EON is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”
Former 007s were quick to throw their support behind the 33-year-old Brit.
Pierce Brosnan told The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1: “I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so.”
And TMZ in the US posted an exclusive attributed to second Bond George Lazenby, who believes Taylor-Johnson, “can handle the stunts, and all the ladies who love a man in a tux.” He advised the actor “to be true to himself and reinvent the role to fit him.”
Sam Taylor-Wood will be appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV this Saturday at 9.35pm and was there to promote her upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black, alongside her heading lady Marisa Abela.
However, she was soon asked about her opinions on Aaron’s career, saying: “It’s really interesting. When I directed Nowhere Boy, he wasn’t my husband. When I directed A Million Little Pieces he was.
“He gets very intense. 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.”
Pressed by Jonathan Ross about the Bond reports, Sam first pretended not to understand and joked: “You mean that I might direct a Bond film? The first woman director…”
She then seemed to confirm that growing consensus that nothing was actually officially confirmed, adding: “Carry on speculating. He’d be great.”
A source at Bond production company EON also recently told the BBC there was “no truth” in the reports.
Aaron himself, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone UK indicated there was nothing locked down in his career: “I don’t feel like I need to have a future drawn out for me. I feel like, whatever’s drawn out for me, I can f***in’ do better.”
THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW, AIRS ON SATURDAY AT 21.35PM ON ITV1 AND ITVX’
JONATHAN ROSS IS JOINED BY SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON, MARISA ABELA, KIRSTEN DUNST, MARY EARPS, DAVID WALLIAMS, YUNG FILLY AND MADNESS PERFORM AT THE END OF THE SHOW