Saoirse Ronan brushed off speculation that her husband Jack Lowden has landed the James Bond role, telling reporters the topic is not even surfacing at home.
The Oscar-nominated actress, 32, spoke on Sunday about the swirl of rumors connecting Lowden, 36, to the 007 franchise. She deflected the question with a pointed reference to the source of the gossip: Lowden’s “Slow Horses” co-star Gary Oldman.
“Well, Gary Oldman thinks he’s James Bond,” she said, smiling.
Ronan, who married Lowden in 2024, made clear the couple has more mundane priorities. “[That’s] its own thing,” she continued. “We’re kinda getting on with our life, to be honest. We have plenty of other things to be dealing with.”
She elaborated on their domestic routine in the same exchange. “So, yeah, it’s not really a subject that’s coming up in our house, to be honest. The dog needs to be walked, the dinner needs to be made — we’re most focused on that.”
The “Lady Bird” star also noted that Lowden is currently occupied with filming duties. “Currently having a good time on that,” she said of his “Slow Horses” production schedule.
Ronan’s dismissive stance stands in contrast to her own stated ambition to join the Bond universe — albeit on the opposite side of the moral divide. In August, she told Empire magazine of her desire to play a villain.
“I want to go dark,” she said in that interview. “I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I’m dead serious.”
The Bond speculation surrounding Lowden intensified last month when Oldman, 66, made a series of public comments suggesting the role was settled. During an interview with Canada’s Global News, the “Darkest Hour” actor addressed the rumors directly.
“It’s been rumored that he’s on the shortlist,” Oldman said of Lowden. “We’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack.”
Oldman expanded on this claim during a panel at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, where he referenced a six-person shortlist for the role.
“I heard a rumor that they’ve picked James Bond, but they haven’t announced it yet, which is their prerogative,” he told the audience.
The veteran actor simultaneously undercut his own authority on the subject. “Like I got a red phone [to the Bond people],” he quipped, adding that he has “no credibility when it comes to Bond movies” and expressing puzzlement that his opinion was being treated as fact.
Lowden himself has not publicly responded to the latest round of 007 rumors.
The search for Daniel Craig’s successor has dominated industry chatter since the actor retired from the franchise following 2021’s “No Time to Die.” Craig, 57, starred in five Bond films across fifteen years. The franchise’s future took a significant turn in February 2025 when longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson transferred creative control to Amazon MGM Studios.
Denis Villeneuve, director of “Dune,” has been attached to helm the next installment. Beyond Lowden, the rumored contenders have included Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson.
A separate report last month identified Jack Barton, who appeared in Emma Stone’s 2023 film “Poor Things,” as the current favorite for the role. Barton played a minor part in that Yorgos Lanthimos-directed feature.
Ronan’s own Bond villain aspirations have not wavered amid her husband’s casting buzz. The “Little Women” actress first floated the idea publicly this summer and has since reiterated her interest in multiple interviews.
The six actors who have officially portrayed James Bond on film remain Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. No announcement of Craig’s replacement has been scheduled by Amazon MGM Studios.