Every actor who has played James Bond has had a love/hate relationship with the role. for Sean Connery's descent into Bond films was a double-edged swordThe Scottish star eventually began to feel out of the box playing England's top spy, which led to a string of grimly dark films in the 1970s, including Christopher Nolan's favorite Connery film“The Offense” in 1973. All the while, Connery was heard talking about how he “hated” James Bond and even “wanted to kill” him.
This set a precedent with every actor who played 007 in subsequent years having a similar relationship with the role. Roger Moore was never comfortable with using guns, and after leaving the saga, Pierce Brosnan claims (via CBS) regretted the “stupid one-liner” and was glad he was no longer “chained to some contracted image.” Timothy Dalton was perhaps most comfortable with the role, but even then he had a hard time after 1989's License to Kill, initially deciding not to return as Bond, then changing his mind and hiring Brosnan to replace EON Productions was prepared. him. Even George Lazenby had problems behind the scenes after playing Bond on On Her Majesty's Secret, struggling to reconcile his love for the countercultural zeitgeist of the time with the figure of a man who would die for Queen and Country. .
But by far the most interesting and strange relationship between an actor and a role belongs to Daniel Craig. The star of 2006's “Casino Royale” apparently wasn't worried about playing the super-spy during his tenure, as he had already decided on the whole thing before it even took off – devising a strategy to screw up his first date. a role that ultimately backfires.
Daniel Craig tried to screw up his Bond audition
Daniel Craig has perhaps been the most vocal of all the James Bond actors about his anti-007 sentiments – at least after Connery said he wouldn't mind parting ways with the character. The British star famously told Timeout London in 2013 (via The Guardian) that it is “better to cut [his] wrists rather than play Bond after his fourth outing as the character”. But while you might initially think the actor was tired of the modern franchise, he was actually anti-Bond from the start.
As mentioned in a GQ piece, before Craig was cast as 007 in “Casino Royale,” he convinced himself that he didn't want to be Bond, while agreeing to meet with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. The actor said: “It's literally, 'F**k off.' I don't want that. How dare you? How dare you suggest that to me?” , she clearly flaunted her outfit, wearing a button-down shirt paired with a jacket that exposed the sleeves of her shirts. “I thought, 'F**k, I'm going to let them hang like that. '” he said.
What makes Craig so angry? It remains unclear, but based on his comments, it seems that the actor may have somehow seen the role beneath him. Or maybe he was avoiding being trapped in the same pigeonhole that Connery fell into nearly 40 years ago. Whatever the reason, the actor who gave more recently Luca Guadagnino's sensational performance in Queer, apparently opposed to being Bond (but still auditioned). Fortunately for fans of the rest Best Bond Movie Ever Made Casino Royale Craig's attempt to sabotage the audition didn't go as planned.
Daniel Craig's hatred of Bond earned him the role
Daniel Craig was surprised to learn that his vision no doubt impressed the Bond trustees after he showed up to his James Bond audition dressed inappropriately. In a structure cliplongtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli remembered Craig's comfortable clothes and convinced him he was ready to become the new 007. He said:
“Michael [G. Wilson] and I wanted him so badly. We just wanted him. The only problem was that he didn't want to do it. [He] came to the office and I remember him walking in and then I said to Michael, “He wants to do this.” It was the funniest thing, something about his style […] the Frenchman wore cuffs and they were unfinished and […] that thing for some reason, I don't know why, I said, 'he wants to do this'.”
It seems that Craig's unkempt cuffs eventually won him the role of James Bond. But this was really the beginning of the actor's difficult relationship with 007. Even after being cast, but before filming began, the actor was intent on destroying his shot in cinema's most enduring franchise.
As noted in the GQ article, when “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell called Craig for a screen test, the actor refused to play ball. Campbell asked the actor to take a grape from a fruit bowl and pop it into his mouth, but the star refused, “actually causing an argument about his first day on the job.” “I just went, 'No,'” Craig said. I said no, I can't. I won't do it. It was about 'How can I be James Bond'. open hostility to the role.
Why is Daniel Craig so upset?
Despite his reservations about playing James Bond, Daniel Craig certainly pulled it off in the end — at least for the first film. Even in pursuit Quantum of Solace remains the biggest disaster in Bond history, but not for the reason you might think – Craig was good. Behind the scenes, it seems he never settled down.
Years after filming Casino Royale, Craig spoke to his co-star Mads Mikkelsen. Diversity“What you asked me to do was come off the set and relax, and I couldn't do that,” he said, recalling that he couldn't join the rest of the cast for poker games between scenes. In this case, you'd think the pressure of debuting a version of Bond and leading the legendary franchise was on the actor – and that was certainly part of it.
But we do know that Craig was against the idea of Bond even before the auditions. By his own admission, he literally tried to screw up his casting at every turn. Considering all this anti-Bond sentiment as a whole, the question that begs to be asked seems this simple: What was Craig's problem?
To be fair, I think Craig's simmering resentment towards Bond actually helped him find a new dimension to the character. His intense portrayal in Royale remains my favorite to this day, and it continues in Quantum, which is regarded as a follow-up to Royale, a good film despite what you may have heard. The problem came when Craig stopped hating Bond and adopted the “I don't give a f**k” stance (another quote from his famous Timeout London interview). I was hardly mad about being cast in a Bond film because of the more gritty approach he and EON took after 2012's Skyfall. Either way, the Craig era is coming to an end and the world is waiting for the announcement of the next actor who will be very upset to play 007.
