New Bond villain Javier Bardem has confessed he was offered the chance to play 007 - but turned the role down.

The Oscar winner reveals Bond producers were considering him as the superspy before they settled on Daniel Craig, but he didn't feel the time was right for a Spanish 007.

The actor, who plays Bond's nemesis Raoul Silva in "Skyfall," tells CinemaBlend.com, "Years ago, I was (offered the role). I don't remember what movie it was for."

"I didn't feel that it was the time for me to do something like that. And also, I was doing something else, so I passed. This time, when I read it, I felt that it was very powerful material, and I wanted to join."

And Bardem insists he never regretted saying no to Bond: "I have passed on many things that I could easily regret, but I don't regret any of them, because that also gives room for something else to come that I'm proud of."