Dick Van Dyke Was Asked To Play James Bond. He Turned It Down for 1 Reason

Dick Van Dyke is less than one month away from his 100th birthday, and the legendary actor is just as busy as ever.

Van Dyke is busy promoting his newest book, "100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life," which dropped on Tuesday. He's still making plenty of public appearances as well, including an interview with Al Roker on TODAY this morning.

Van Dyke has no shortage of acclaimed acting roles on his resume, but he revealed to Roker he turned down the opportunity to play James Bond, one of the most iconic characters ever.

'Bond' not meant to be

In 1971, Sean Connery retired from his run as James Bond, opening the door for producer Albert Broccoli to approach Van Dyke and ask if he was interested.

Van Dyke, who at that point had already starred in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Mary Poppins," had one reason for saying no.

“Is it true you could have almost become James Bond?” Roker asked.

"They said, 'Would you like to be Bond?' And I said, 'Have you heard my British accent?'" Van Dyke joked.

Actually, Van Dyke admitted he probably could have pulled it off, but says portraying Bond would have been a change of pace from his typical family-friendly roles and he worried fans would not have "accepted it from me."

Still, it would "have been a great experience" to play 007, a gig that ultimately went to Roger Moore. Ultimately, Van Dyke's career was clearly not adversely affected by his decision.

Nearing 100, no slowing down for Van Dyke

Van Dyke, who will hit the century mark officially on Dec. 13, remains bullish about physical fitness in his advanced age.

“I still try to hit the gym three times a week,” he said in a piece for The Sunday Times.

“I don’t know why this is something I still want to do but it is. I’m not a “wake up and go back to bed” type just yet, unless it’s cold and rainy. If I miss too many gym days, I really can feel it — a stiffness creeping in here and there. If I let that set in, well, God help me.”

As far as his workout routine, Van Dyke says a quick smoothie or caffeine treat gets him motivated, and he tries to stick with the same schedule once he gets to the gym.

“At the gym I usually do a circuit, going from one machine to the next without a break, in a circle," Van Dyke explained. "I start with the sit-up machine. [My wife] Arlene says I could do 500 but that might be exaggerating. Then I do all the leg machines religiously because my legs are two of my most cherished possessions. And then the upper body.”