Jack O’Connell’s heart was never in ‘300: Rise of an Empire’: “It’s not what I get out of bed for”

Posted On February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

There are those of us who are still holding out hope that Jack O’Connell will be the next James Bond, but for the rest of you, his name probably dredges up more villainous connotations.

In less than a year, he appeared as blood-curdling baddies in no fewer than three movies, which I would argue has more to do with his range as an actor than any potential limitations as a leading man. 

In 2025, he played a world-weary Irish vampire in Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster Sinners, and a few months later, he appeared in a small but film-stealing role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, where his character’s obvious similarities to Jimmy Savile sparked controversy and ensured that he was one of the most disturbing villains of the year. Then, in January of 2026, he reprised the role in Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Even many of his earlier roles followed a grim template, such as the prison drama Starred Up and the IRA thriller ‘71, both harrowing in their own ways, proving the actor can disappear into brutal material again and again.

His track record as a performer has been impeccable, but, as with all actors who are just getting started, he had no choice but to make a few compromises early on; to his credit, however, O’Connell didn’t take those movies any more seriously than they deserved.

In 2014, he appeared as an Athenian warrior in Zack Snyder’s dumb-as-rocks cosplay fantasy 300: Rise of an Empire. The aesthetic of the film is also its synopsis: abs everywhere. Forget the fact that no one, especially Ancient Greek warriors, is dumb enough to go into battle wearing only a skimpy little cape and leather skirt, but Snyder wanted pecs and abs, and that is exactly what we got. O’Connell wasn’t under any illusions about the project, which was, first and foremost, a celebration of the male form, the most sexless erotica ever committed to celluloid.

When asked about it in an interview the year it was released, he didn’t bother pretending either, telling The Playlist, “Not to knock the project at all, but for me as an actor, it’s not what I get out of bed for”. He still did plenty of historical research for the job, but in the end, it was mostly just a modelling gig. 

“There was a lot of posing done on 300,” he said, “I mean, I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying that, but it was more time spent in the gym than anything”. He added that he spent more time in front of the mirror than the camera and was forced to endure an ungodly amount of spray tan, joking, “I think I’ve got tanned lungs”.

Luckily, that film was more or less rock bottom for the actor, for soon after, he landed the lead role in Angelina Jolie’s period war drama Unbroken, and shortly after that, he played a troubled young millennial who takes a TV studio hostage in Jodie Foster’s Money Monster. Even if Amazon makes a mistake by casting someone else as Bond, it’s safe to assume that O’Connell’s career will be just fine.