Portraying one of the most iconic cinematic characters James Bond for over a decade, Hollywood star Daniel Craig has become one of the best actors to bring the character to life on the silver screen. However, starring in the spy film series, which required him to perform numerous action sequences, came with significant challenges.
Working in the franchise took a physical toll on the actor, so much so that he even intended to bow out as the suave spy after the 2015 film Spectre, in which he suffered the worst injury throughout his venture as the MI6 agent. Craig later revealed that he injured his knee while filming an action sequence with Dave Bautista.
Daniel Craig Recalled the Worst Injury During His James Bond Tenure
Daniel Craig shared the screen with Dave Bautista in the 2015 film Spectre, where the Marvel star took on the role of remorseless and destructive, Mr. Hink, an assassin who poses a significant challenge to the film’s protagonist.
In an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the 56-year-old actor revealed that it was while filming one of the action sequences with Bautista that he suffered the worst injury of his tenure as James Bond.
While discussing the damage he has suffered as 007, Craig recalled, “My knee which was on Spectre. That was Dave Bautista, God bless him, who is a professional wrestler.” He shared that they rehearsed the fighting sequence for weeks.
However, the actor noted that Bautista had been very gentle while filming the sequence. So, he told Bautista, “Dave, Dave, mate, it’s alright. C’mon. You can chuck me a bit. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” The Guardians of the Galaxy star took his suggestion, which did not end well for Craig.
“So, he did. I ended up on the wall, but my knee was sort of over there somewhere,” he recalled, noting that he immediately knew something was wrong. Despite the injury, the Knives Out star continued filming with a knee brace.
Daniel Craig Accidentally Broke Dave Bautista’s Nose
Further in his conversation on the talk show, Daniel Craig shared that he also accidentally injured Dave Bautista while filming a fight sequence. “I broke his nose,” he recalled, as he explained that it was a mistake. He shared,
I mean, like I said he’s a big guy. He’s a professional wrestler, you really wouldn’t mess with him, and I threw this punch, I hit him on the nose and I heard this crack and I went, ‘Oh god no!’ and ran away because I thought he was going to come after me.
However, the former WWE star remained unphased, realigned his nose at the moment, and continued filming. “He was so sweet about it. He just went away and fixed his nose,” the Skyfall star said before adding, “He’s a lot tougher than I am, I’ll give him that.”
Bautista later reacted to Craig’s revelation, as he shared that his co-star apologized, they hugged and resumed filming without any animosity. The actors have no bad blood and have since reunited on screen in the 2022 Netflix hit, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Spectre is available to stream on Prime Video.
