One of the players who helped West Ham United win promotion to the Premier League back in 2012 has eyes on becoming the villain in the next James Bond film.
No, this isn't a joke.
Several former West Ham United stars have interesting careers these days. Neil Ruddock, for example, became something of a reality TV star after hanging up his boots.
Teddy Sheringham briefly entered the world of professional poker, while Rio Ferdinand tried his hand at boxing before returning to football as a pundit.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Carew was already quite famous before joining West Ham. Standing six foot five and having played at clubs such as Valencia , Roma, Aston Villa and Lyon will do that for you. And now that he's turned his attention to acting, it appears he hasn't lost that ambitious edge one bit.
The 44-year-old Norwegian made 19 appearances for West Ham across all competitions during the Hammers' 2011/12 Championship season (Transfermarkt). That said, he's not exactly one of those players who could be accused of overstaying their welcome at Upton Park.
And given some comments from quite recently (December 2023), it appears that may not change anytime soon either.
Speaking on BBC Radio London (16 December), Carew said: "To become a villain in James Bond or Marvel or something like this would be absolutely amazing."
He then spoke about why he didn't want to go down any traditional football-related path after retirement from professional football:
"When I finished football I knew it wasn't going to be coaching. It was so far from me doing anything like that," Carew explained. "But then I came into TV production with my friends who had a big production company and we were developing things together and producing things. That gave me an introduction into TV and how everything worked behind there."
Carew has since starred in several Norwegian films while also taking on English-speaking roles in movies such as Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix and Locked Down starring alongside Anne Hathaway.
While his time at West Ham is well known among Hammers fans, most people probably remember him more for his spells at Valencia and Aston Villa .
Carew ended his playing days at West Ham, stepping away from the game soon after the club's 2012 play-off final victory.
Since then, he's made a name for himself in acting, with one of his notable roles coming in the 2019 film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, where he appeared alongside Angelina Jolie and Ellie Fanning.
One of Carew's inspirations is British actor Tom Hardy, who has also been linked to the role of James Bond. Carew has spoken about how much he'd love to be part of that franchise someday.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: "I want to be a villain in a James Bond movie. 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."
Hollywood has more than a few West Ham fans in its ranks.
There's Danny Dyer, who's always been vocal about his love for the club, and Ray Winstone is another familiar face backing the Hammers. Olivia Dean is also on that list.
But it might surprise some to learn that Jason Momoa, known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Aquaman, is also a supporter.
The actor explained his connection during an interview with talkSPORT.
"Yeah, that's like the first place I settled in. That's why I'm a Hammer. But I'm also like childhood, childhood, Manchester United ," he said when asked about living in east London.
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