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"Have You Heard My British Accent?": The Day Dick Van Dyke Hung Up on James Bond
In the late 1960s, after Sean Connery left the role of 007, producers shockingly offered the part to American comedy legend Dick Van Dyke. Famously self-aware of his terrible British accent from Mary Poppins, Van Dyke's hilarious one-question response ended the call immediately.
In the annals of Hollywood's greatest "what ifs," few are as wonderfully absurd as the time James Bond producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli picked up the phone and offered the role of a generation to the most unlikely of candidates: Dick Van Dyke.
A Search for a New 007
The year was 1967. Sean Connery, the man who defined suave sophistication for a decade, had just completed You Only Live Twice and was temporarily hanging up his tuxedo and Walther PPK. The search for the next James Bond was a global media event. Producers were looking for someone who could fill Connery's impossibly large shoes, a task that would eventually land on the shoulders of Australian model George Lazenby for one film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. But before Lazenby was chosen, the casting net was thrown wide, scooping up some truly unexpected names.
An Unlikely Candidate from Cherry Tree Lane
At the time, Dick Van Dyke was one of the biggest stars in the world. Between The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, he was the quintessential American entertainer. He was charming, funny, and a master of physical comedy. However, there was one role that made him a particularly bizarre choice for Britain's most famous secret agent: Bert, the jovial chimney sweep from Disney's 1964 classic, Mary Poppins. While the film was a smash hit, Van Dyke's attempt at a Cockney accent became legendary for all the wrong reasons. It was, and still is, widely regarded as one of the most comically inaccurate accents in cinematic history—a fact the actor himself has lovingly poked fun at for decades.
The Phone Call That Ended Itself
This brings us to the fateful phone call. As Van Dyke recounted in an interview, the head of United Artists and Bond producer Cubby Broccoli reached out to him personally to gauge his interest in playing Agent 007. Van Dyke, likely stunned by the offer, knew immediately why it was a terrible idea. His response was a masterclass in self-awareness and brevity. As he told CBS News, his only reply to Broccoli was:
"Have you heard my British accent?"
According to the beloved actor, that was the end of the conversation. He reportedly hung up the phone, and with one simple, hilarious question, the world was spared a version of James Bond who might have sounded more like a confused tourist in East London than a sophisticated MI6 spy.
A Bullet Dodged, A Legend Created
One can only imagine what a Dick Van Dyke Bond film would have looked like. Would 007 have engaged in a slapstick musical number with Blofeld's henchmen? Would his Q-Branch gadgets have included an exploding ottoman to trip over? While it's a fun thought experiment, it’s safe to say that Van Dyke's wise refusal kept the franchise on its destined path. The story remains a charming footnote in film history, showcasing not only a wild moment in casting but also the wit and humility of a true Hollywood legend who knew his strengths—and knew that a license to kill didn't come with a license to mangle the Queen's English.