Jamie Dornan thinks it was “inevitable” he’d be suggested as a possible James Bond.

The 40-year-old star insisted any successful actor “of a certain age” gets linked to the role of the suave spy following Daniel Craig’s exit from the franchise, but he suggested he’s unlikely to get the part.

Speaking about the speculation, he said: “Of course it’s nice to be in those conversations.

“If you’re an actor of a certain age who’s had a good year, there’s an inevitability about [being mentioned].

“But they’ll probably replace Daniel Craig with somebody who’s never been on one of those lists.”

The ‘Tourist’ star – who has children Dulcie, nine, Elva, six, and three-year-old Alberta with wife Amelia Warner – feels “great” about entering a new decade.

He told Radio Times magazine: “I feel great about [turning 40]. I’m in a good place at work at home and I haven’t started sprouting hairs out of my nose yet.

“I’m standing here with three healthy kids and a beautiful wife and a good career.

“I don’t have a lot to complain about.

“I feel my life has been marked out by decades; I moved to London when I turned 20, modelled for 10 years and then my acting career kicked off at 30, and I got married and had children.

“That makes me even more excited about my 40s. I honestly feel like I haven’t even begun.”

Jamie recently insisted he doesn’t regret starring in the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movies because they made him a household name, which has helped fund the smaller projects he wanted to do.

He said: “The thing is every move I have made in my career, post those films, I have only been able to do because of those films.

“Because all of the stuff, like ‘Belfast’, ‘Beyond Private’ or any like well-received more independent stuff I’ve done the last five or six years, they’re only budgeting, they’re only paying for those films to be made off my name because I’m in a franchise that made 1.4 billion dollars. That’s how that works. It’s all part of it, it’s given me so much, so of course I don’t regret it.”