John Carew: 'I want to be a villain in a James Bond movie'

Cameron Smith

• 8 Feb 2026 15:36 CST
• 4 min read

News

Former Aston Villa striker John Carew has revealed his desire to become a villain in the James Bond franchise after turning his hand to the acting world.

The 46-year-old, who scored 48 goals in 131 appearances across a four-year spell at Aston Villa between 2007 and 2011, has changed careers since hanging up his boots and he is eager to continue his development as an actor over the next few years.

Carew’s first gig came when he landed the lead part in Dead of Winter - a Canadian horror film - and he subsequently starred in Heimebane, a successful TV series in his native Norway.

In 2019, Carew worked alongside renowned actress Angelina Jolie in Disney production Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and he landed a key role in Netflix show Home for Christmas in 2025, which topped the charts in Norway.

Carew has now admitted that starring in a James Bond film is on his bucket list.

John Carew reveals dream acting role

Speaking to The Athletic, the ex-Norway forward revealed that he made steps towards an acting career during his time at Aston Villa.

“I started acting classes in 2009,” Carew admitted. “It was having a coach come over to an apartment I had in London and working on texts and how to get into a character. I’d had an interest for a while during my football career.

“I was 100 per cent dedicated to football when I was younger and this came slightly later without having any background in it. It was learning about the theory and the technical part of acting that really interested me.

“The coach came once, sometimes twice a week and I was filmed a couple of times reading emotionally in front of the camera.

“I don’t think I told them (team-mates) much. I didn’t make a big deal of it. I’m not the type of personality to talk about things all the time unless it’s necessary. Then, when I retired, I had more time.

“Being in a movie might mean you need to be on location for many months or something, so obviously you can’t commit to it as a professional footballer. One or two days of availability in the summer break isn’t going to cut it.”

When asked about his acting role models, Carew said: “Of course I love Anthony Hopkins, Denzel Washington and Al Pacino; the classics. But if I think about how I want to approach a character, then I look at Tom Hardy. He’s the blueprint for me.

“It inspires me how he breaks down a character and then builds it up. It’s how he lets dialogue marinate, and it’s closest to how I want to do it. If you watch him in Peaky Blinders, there are some scenes when he’s so good you can barely believe it. To use the football analogy again, he is Real Madrid level.”

Carew then revealed his dream acting role. “I want to be a villain in a James Bond movie,” he admitted.

“Not the main villain, but a hitman. I want to be the baddie’s right-hand man, like a silent assassin who loses a fight to Bond halfway through.”

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