Did You Know We Almost Had Y&R’s Eric Braeden As James Bond?

Eric Braeden portrays the iconic Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless. However, did you know he may have been up for another iconic role — James Bond — but for one minor detail?

Eric Braeden As James Bond?

If you’re a longtime Y&R fan, it may be difficult to imagine Braeden as anybody other than The Great Victor Newman. However, if you’re a fan of the actor, you’re probably aware he’s had a prolific career outside of daytime, including roles on television series like Gunsmoke, The Rat Patrol, and Mission: Impossible. He also had a part in one of the biggest grossing films of all time, Titanic. However, could you imagine him as James Bond? It certainly wouldn’t be much of a departure for the actor.

According to his former co-star, Doug Davidson (Paul Williams), Eric Braeden would have been one of the famous Bond actors. That tidbit was revealed in a Twitter thread about the rumors of the most recent iteration of James Bond — Idris Elba — which aren’t actually true. Even so, while discussing the possibility of Elba taking on the role, Davidson responded with a surprising tidbit about Victor’s portrayer.

“@EBraeden [Eric Braeden] was disqualified from playing the role because he didn’t have a British passport,” revealed Davidson.

Can you imagine him among the 007 names David Niven, Barry Nelson, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig? It doesn’t seem that outrageous. Braeden was among the many actors considered for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — a role that George Lazenby ultimately won. It seems that citizens of the United Kingdom are the ones who end up portraying the iconic film character, and Braeden is from Germany.

What do you think? Would things be different if Braeden had portrayed 007 and The Mustache? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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