Henry Cavill was taken aback by a bombshell from his James Bond audition almost 20 years ago. Watch the Argylle star’s reaction here.

It’s been almost 20 years since the last set of James Bond auditions when Daniel Craig beat Henry Cavill to the 007 role in Casino Royale.

With the outgoing star’s No Time To Die hitting cinemas almost two and half years ago, speculation is rife over who his replacement will be.

Cavill continues to be one of the bookies’ next Bond favourites and doesn’t shy away from the spy genre with Argylle out this week and the upcoming The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare being based on Ian Fleming’s World War II espionage.

The 40-year-old is very open about being up for taking on Bond next and was told a bombshell fact he seemingly didn’t know from his original audition in 2005.

This claim comes from Matthew Vaughn who directed Cavill in Argylle and Stardust and also Craig in 2004’s Layer Cake.

Henry Cavill looking very James Bond in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Image: WB)

Daniel Craig’s James Bond announcement with 007 producers and director Martin Campbell (right of Craig) (Image: GETTY)

During an interview with Sirius XM, Vaughn told the following story which very much looked like news to Cavill, who was only in his early twenties when he auditioned for Bond. Just look at the star’s reaction in the video.

The Argylle director said: “It was really bizarre because, when Henry was auditioning for Bond, I was at Pinewood [Studios], and Daniel was as well, at the same time, and I’d go off and meet with Daniel, and he’d say what’s going on. He says there’s this young guy Henry Cavill I think they’re seeing as well. And we hadn’t done Stardust yet. But that’s how you came into my radar. I was thinking, well who’s this guy who got down to the last two for Bond? So that’s how I discovered you.”

“And I know that the director preferred your audition, but Barbara [Broccoli] preferred Layer Cake. So, just to let you know. And they decided you were too young. And I probably shouldn’t have said that, but the Broccolis aren’t that keen on me anyway, so what have I got to lose? But he would be excellent. But it’s unfair for him to discuss about a project that he might be involved with or not and ruin it because of a question.”

Express.co.uk interviewed the Casino Royale director last year and he praised Cavill’s Bond audition.

Campbell told us in an exclusive interview: “He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiselled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”

“Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done [a] third [Bond movie] he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”