Hugh Bonneville reveals George Clooney once asked him to re-audition

Hugh Bonneville has revealed that George Clooney once asked him to audition for a new film years after Clooney had already directed him in The Monuments Men.

Appearing on Private Passions on BBC Radio 3 earlier, the Downton Abbey and Paddington star told Lord Michael Berkeley he used the chance to make a tongue-in-cheek self-tape reminding Clooney they had already worked together.

“I said, hello, my name is Hugh Bonneville, and I’ve been in Downton Abbey, the Paddington films and, oh, actually a film called The Monuments Men, which you directed,” he laughed. “Anyway, I didn’t get the part.”

Bonneville also spoke candidly about his dislike of self-taped auditions, calling them the “absolute scourge of my industry”.

He said the trend, which began more than a decade ago, has made it harder for directors and actors to build creative relationships.

“If you begin to cast people that way, at least when it comes to the second or third round, you get to see them in person,” he added. “You soon get an idea of whether you’re going to have a rapport.”

Reflecting on his career, Bonneville said he still enjoys traditional auditions where he can work through a scene with a director, describing them as an essential part of the collaborative process.

Private Passions airs on BBC Radio 3, Sundays at midday. You can hear the Hugh Bonneville episode on BBC Sounds.