Callum Turner Reveals His Top Espionage Film Choice

It’s almost a rite of passage for British actors of a certain age to find themselves linked to the role of James Bond. Callum Turner, a London-born talent in his mid-thirties, is no exception. Despite a start in cinema that included supporting parts in Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy’s Victor Frankenstein, Michael Fassbender’s less-than-stellar Assassin’s Creed, and the ill-fated Fantastic Beasts series, Turner’s early career didn’t exactly mark him out as one to watch. However, more nuanced roles in John Boorman’s Queen and Country and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room allowed him to demonstrate his range, especially when he wasn’t relegated to the background in effects-heavy blockbusters.

Turner has since continued to build his reputation with performances in George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat and Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed miniseries Masters of the Air, a spiritual successor to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Born in 1990 and raised in the UK, Turner is well-known but not overexposed, making him a natural candidate for the 007 conversation. Rumour has it that Denis Villeneuve has his eye on Turner for the next Bond reboot, though casting for the 26th instalment remains a distant prospect.

Turner’s Espionage Favourite

While the world speculates about his potential as Bond, Turner’s own taste in espionage films is rather telling. When asked by Letterboxd to name his all-time top four, he immediately singled out a classic from Alan J Pakula.

“I’m going to go for The Parallax View,”

he said.

“I just think it’s the most beautiful. The opening, you would never be able to do that now. The guy rolls off the top of a rotating restaurant tower.”

That memorable opening sets the tone for the 1974 thriller, where Paula Prentiss’s character, Lee Carter, witnesses a presidential hopeful’s fatal fall from a revolving restaurant. What appears to be a tragic accident is, in fact, an assassination, with the shadowy Parallax Corporation eager to keep the truth under wraps. As the real perpetrator escapes and a convenient suspect is eliminated, a string of further witness deaths over the next three years draws Carter into a web of intrigue, prompting her to seek help from Warren Beatty’s investigative journalist, Joseph Frady.

Layers of Intrigue

Without giving away too much about a film that’s been around for half a century, Carter’s fears are well-founded, and her fate compels Frady to dig deeper into the conspiracy. The Parallax View may not fit the traditional mould of a spy film, nor does it have any direct connection to the Bond universe, but its atmosphere is thick with subterfuge and covert machinations.

Turner’s admiration for the film suggests a fondness for stories steeped in secrecy and suspense. Whether or not he eventually steps into Bond’s shoes, his appreciation for such a nuanced take on espionage is clear. For now, the decision rests with Villeneuve, but Turner’s name remains firmly in the frame.