Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale. His version of Bond added a fresh take to the franchise as the producers were looking for a change. He did not just present the character differently but also looked different from predecessors. Though it was met with backlash initially as he did not fit the description from Ian Fleming’s books, once the fans saw him play the iconic character they instantly fell in love.
Daniel Craig went on to become one of the most loved and successful actors to play James Bond. His tenure included five films and all of them did well at the box office, including No Time To Die which came out in the pandemic era. Though the world now looks for the next Bond, Craig’s portrayal will always be the benchmark.
Daniel Craig got nervous during his audition for Casino Royale
The actor, Daniel Craig, is known for being a Bond different from others. The director of Casino Royale, Martin Campbell talked about the auditions that he took. He explained the reason why the actor was picked from all those who auditioned. Campbell praised Craig as an actor for his previous projects and how those, especially Munich, helped him be cast as Bond. He stated,
“He’s a very fine actor. He looks different to the stereotype of Bond, and he doesn’t have the pretty-boy looks of someone like Pierce, but he’s good-looking in a very rugged, tough way. He’s got an edge to him, I think. He’s more weighty than Pierce. And to be honest, he fitted the Casino Royale Bond so much better than the other actors we saw.”
The director, looking back at Craig’s audition, remembered how the actor got cold feet while reading for the part. He highlighted how his portrayal was different than the rest and how he managed to captivate everyone without saying much. He revealed,
“I mean, the image we have of Bond is false, it’s almost entirely created by the movies. If you read the books, there’s no humor. The guy smokes and drinks. He has doubts about himself. And Daniel can do that. He was very good in Munich. Even though I wasn’t a big fan of the film, I thought he was one of the best things in it – and he barely opened his mouth.”
The director made it very clear with his words that Craig was the top and only pick for their new James Bond. The actor followed Pierce Brosnan, who played Bond in four films.
Daniel Craig talks about his “Bond” experience
Following the director’s comments about being nervous at the auditions. Daniel Craig went on to share his side of the tale. Explaining how he wanted his Agent 007 to be different from the ones that the fans had already seen. But the attempt of being different from the legends like Sean Connery can be nerve-wracking and it got the best of him at times. Craig shared,
“All that was important to me was that we weren’t going to get into a repeat of what’s been done before. Not for any reasons of criticism, but otherwise what’s the point? If you are gonna start it all over again, then there’s got to be a real sea change. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a Bond movie.”
He even talked about the backlash he received for not matching the description of Bond,
“I mean, that’s the criticism I’ve been getting on the ‘net. It seems to me that people just think – well, they think I’m f–king ugly, but I’ll have to live with that – they think it’s gonna be f–ked up. That’s as far away from what’s been done as you can possibly get. What’s been done is very, very different but it is religiously a Bond movie. Religiously a Bond movie. It’s Casino fucking Royale, for Christ’s sake. It’s the defining Ian Fleming book!”
All James Bond movies can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Empire
