Daniel Craig played James Bond in five installments before bidding farewell to the franchise. After James Bond, the Casino Royale actor has now taken on a lighter role in another franchise. Craig plays private detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out franchise, which has released two successful movies, with a third sequel in progress.
The movies, directed by Rian Johnson, explore the whodunnit mystery genre. The first movie, Knives Out, raked in $311.9 million at the box office, while the second movie, Glass Onion, gained $15 million during its one-week limited theatrical release before streaming on Netflix. It seems that Daniel Craig enjoyed the franchise, perhaps even more than James Bond.
Daniel Craig Was Happier On The Sets Of Glass Onion Than In His James Bond Films
Dave Bautista co-starred with Daniel Craig in both the Bond film, Spectre, and the Knives Out film, Glass Onion. Bautista, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, revealed that he saw Daniel Craig as a much happier person on the sets of Glass Onion than during his time in the Bond films. The Guardians of the Galaxy actor noted that he interacted with the Munich actor a lot better on the sets of Glass Onion. Bautista shared:
“You could feel that he was under a lot of pressure. He didn’t seem like the happiest person on Bond, but on Glass Onion, it was the complete opposite. He was just so much fun, and he was always smiling and happy and interacted a lot more. On Spectre, there wasn’t a whole lot of interaction with the whole cast. But on Glass, we were always together. So I got to know him better as a person and actually see him do his thing.”
Dave Bautista’s observations are not wrong, as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actor seemed very enthusiastic about the Knives Out franchise during press tours, promotions, and interviews. Compared to Bond films, this franchise felt more like a holiday for the Skyfall actor. Craig revealed that as long as the fun remains and Rian Johnson is on board, he will continue to play Benoit Blanc.
Was Daniel Craig Really Unhappy With James Bond?
After a point, Daniel Craig could not keep up with the physicality of the role. There were rumors after the release of Spectre suggesting that it was the Logan Lucky actor’s final appearance as Bond. Furthermore, Craig also turned down an offer of $100 million from the producers to play James Bond in two more movies. The Defiance actor later admitted that the rigors of the role had taken its toll, especially after sustaining injuries in previous Bond films.
In 2017, Daniel Craig on his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, shared that the next film in the Bond franchise would be his last. Craig however appreciated his time playing the role, describing James Bond as “the best job in the world”. No Time to Die gave an emotionally satisfying conclusion to Daniel Craig’s character, relieving him from the physical burden of the role.
In his interview, Bautista also commended the transformation of Daniel Craig from James Bond to Benoit Blanc. Audiences also seemed to have accepted the new role of the 55-year-old actor. Fans of the James Bond franchise can catch the latest release, No Time to Die, streaming on Prime Video. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
