Daniel Craig On Skyfall and his Break From Bond

Posted December 23rd, 2011

The Guardian has done another interview with Daniel Craig, discussing Skyfall as well as his latest film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Casino Royale director Martin Campbell also discusses his first impressions about Daniel, and his handling of the press.

When Martin Campbell, who had previously directed Goldeneye, came back for Casino Royale, Daniel Craig hadn't been cast yet. "Oddly enough, I wasn't sure about Daniel at first," Campbell said. "My vision of the character was steeped in that handsome, Sean Connery/Pierce Brosnan image. Daniel's good-looking in a more rugged way. I tested other actors for the part, but Barbara Broccoli had no doubt at all that Daniel would make a terrific Bond. She was the one really pushing for him." Campbell later watched Layer Cake, saying "He has a charm in that movie, a sense of mischief, that convinced me he could be Bond."

Before Casino Royale was released, Daniel was getting a lot of bad press for being the "blond bond". So much so, that former James Bond actors came forward to give their support. Campbell recalled that "I asked Daniel, 'Do you listen to all this crap?' He said, 'Yeah. What I do is I make sure I've seen it all and that everyone on set knows what's been in the press, then there's nothing to hide.' I thought that was a very perceptive way of dealing with it."

The Bond series was put on hold after Quantum of Solace due to MGMs financial crisis and bankrupcy filing. Daniel recalls some struggles during that time. "There was that long hiatus where Bond maybe wasn't happening. I'd got it into my head that if it went another two years on top of the two-year gap we'd already had, then they should probably find someone else. And I should think about getting on with things."

Fortunately, things pulled through in the end, and Skyfall is on the horizon. Daniel doesn't give away too much: "Before we started, Sam Mendes and I sat down together and rubbed our hands and said, 'Right, what shall we do?' We watched the films, we read the books again, just to find what makes a great Bond movie. And I think we've managed to put in all the wit we love about the series, and all the kind of... Look, I'm really very excited about it."

Be sure to read the full article.

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