James Nelson-Joyce isn’t your average rising star — and that’s exactly why the calls for him to become the next James Bond are growing louder by the day. Forget polished drama school products — this is the “Double-O Scouse” fans didn’t know they needed until now.

When asked about the swirling Bond rumors, Nelson-Joyce responds with wide eyes and a modest shrug: “It’s been mentioned. Bit of a surprise, to be honest. I leave that stuff to my agents.” But even if it’s a long shot, fans and critics alike are already sold — thanks to his commanding performances in A Thousand Blows and, most notably, BBC’s This City is Ours.

BBC

As gangster Michael Kavanagh, Nelson-Joyce masterfully blends menace and vulnerability. One moment he’s a violent enforcer; the next, a fragile man navigating fertility issues and craving real love with girlfriend Diana (played by Hannah Onslow). It’s a gritty, emotionally raw performance that few actors could pull off — and Nelson-Joyce makes it look effortless.

“Michael’s never been loved like this,” he says. “He wants safety, a future, a real family — but he’s trapped in a world where he constantly has to look over his shoulder.”

This isn’t your typical  TV tough guy. From the quiet tenderness with which his character handles a corpse (yes, really) to the emotional depths he explores behind the eyes of a hardened criminal, Nelson-Joyce proves he’s got leading-man chops that go far beyond brawn.

“I wanted to be soft with him,” he says of one intense scene. “Little touches matter — like taking the wine glass out of his hand, making sure nothing spills. That’s who Michael is under the mask.”

There’s no elite acting pedigree here. Raised working-class and originally dreaming of football glory à la Jamie Carragher, he stumbled into acting thanks to — of all things — a crush on his English teacher. Her hunch that he had talent changed everything.

“It was either get up at 5:30am to mix cement with a bunch of hairy builders, or go to community college full of arty girls,” he jokes. “Not a hard choice.”

That gamble paid off. And years later, a chance encounter with actor Stephen Graham at a Nando’s turned into a mentorship and lifelong friendship. “We talk every day,” he says. “He’s the brother I never had.”

Their chemistry exploded onscreen in A Thousand Blows, but it’s the off-screen connection — their shared working-class roots, raw acting instincts, and refusal to fit industry molds — that make them standout talents in a sea of sameness.

Nelson-Joyce isn’t shy about calling out the lack of access for working-class kids in the arts either, echoing Ed Sheeran’s push for fairer opportunities.

“If you cut working-class voices out of the arts, TV and film will go beige,” he says. “Private schools have every resource. Where’s the space for raw, real talent?”

“Thirty years ago, if things were like this, shows like This City is Ours wouldn’t even exist. We don’t want special treatment. We want a fair shot.”

Diana (Hannah Onslow) and Michael (James Nelson Joyce)

As for the future? While Bond remains a dream for fans, Nelson-Joyce has his sights on an even more complex role: football legend George Best.

“He was the first celebrity footballer. Brilliant but broken. Everyone wanted a piece of him, but he was a loner. That’s who I want to play.”

For now, he’s just focused on being himself — Mozart vinyls, History Channel marathons, emotional honesty and all.
“I used to put on a front to survive. But now? This is me. And I think I’m all right.”