Callum Turner Reveals His Top Espionage Film Pick
British actor Callum Turner, often tipped for the next James Bond, shares his admiration for Alan J Pakula’s 1974 thriller The Parallax View, calling its opening scene uniquely beautiful.
Whenever the search for a new James Bond kicks off, it’s almost a rite of passage for British actors in their thirties to get thrown into the mix. Callum Turner, a Londoner with a growing reputation and a string of notable roles, is no exception. Early on, his filmography didn’t exactly set the world on fire—supporting turns in projects like Victor Frankenstein with Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy, the underwhelming Assassin’s Creed alongside Michael Fassbender, and a stint in the ill-fated Fantastic Beasts series didn’t do much to single him out. But with parts in John Boorman’s Queen and Country and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, Turner started to show what he could really do, especially when he wasn’t just a background player in big-budget blockbusters.
He’s since kept up the momentum, landing roles in George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat and the much-talked-about war drama Masters of the Air, which follows in the footsteps of Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Born in 1990 and raised in the UK, Turner fits the bill for Bond: well-known but not overexposed, British through and through, and with enough screen presence to get punters talking. There’s even word that Denis Villeneuve has him in mind for the next Bond reboot, though casting is still a fair way off. Whether he ends up in the tux or not, it’s interesting to see what films have influenced him along the way.
Turner’s Espionage Favourite
When asked by Letterboxd to name his all-time top four films, Turner didn’t hesitate to pick 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’s exactly how the 1974 thriller kicks off, with Paula Prentiss’ character Lee Carter witnessing a would-be presidential candidate, played by William Joyce, plummet from a revolving restaurant. It’s not just a tragic accident—there’s a shadowy organisation, the Parallax Corporation, working hard to keep the truth under wraps.
As the real perpetrator slips away and a convenient suspect is quickly dispatched, things only get murkier. Over the next three years, six more witnesses meet untimely ends, leaving Carter fearing for her own safety. She turns to Warren Beatty’s character, a determined reporter, for help, worried she might be next on the list.
Why The Parallax View Stands Out
Without giving away too much about a film that’s been around for half a century, Carter’s fears aren’t unfounded. Her fate pushes Beatty’s Joseph Frady to dig deeper, determined to uncover what’s really going on. While The Parallax View isn’t your typical spy flick and doesn’t have any direct ties to Bond, it’s packed with intrigue and covert dealings. Turner’s admiration for the film shows he’s got a soft spot for stories full of twists and hidden motives.
Whether or not Turner ends up as the next Bond is still up in the air, but his taste in films suggests he’s more than ready for a bit of on-screen cloak and dagger. If Villeneuve does decide to hand him the keys to the Aston Martin, he could do a lot worse.