Jackman, 44, said he was too busy playing Wolverine in the X-Men series in 2006 when he was approached to take on the 007 part.
Instead Briton Daniel Craig, 44, got the gun and has now made three Bond films.
"At the time it was wrong for me, but when I saw Daniel in the movie I thought maybe I should have been more interested, because it was great," Jackman told British newspaper The Sun.
"But I am great mates with Daniel. When he was in Australia we caught up and, you know, no-one could have played Bond better."
But the Sydneysider has not given up on the chance to serve Her Majesty's secret service and took a swipe at his mate's unflattering physique.
"I will just wait," he quipped.
"The good thing about Daniel is he's, what, 62 now, isn't he? He's falling apart at the seams. So I just keep telling him, `I'm ready, whenever you want to let him (Bond) go, I'm ready.'
"The good thing is I have also got a British passport."
