The James Bond franchise got a major makeover after Daniel Craig took over the lead role from Pierce Brosnan. Unlike the Brosnan era, this latest reboot provided a more grounded approach and realistic take on the story of 007. Craig’s portrayal as a new and inexperienced Bond was widely appreciated by most of the fans. However, the audition for James Bond was something not very easy for Daniel Craig.
According to the Knives Out actor, the audition for James Bond movies follows a common template since Sean Connery played the role for the first time. Till now, we have seen a horde of actors such as Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan helming the role. While every one of them presented a different take on the character, one common factor among all of them was the audition process.
Daniel Craig described the audition process for James Bond
Interestingly, the audition process for the role of the British spy didn’t see any change over the years. As explained by Daniel Craig, it is a single scene from From Russia With Love. The 1963 Sean Connery movie had a scene where we could spot a towel-clad James Bond coming out of the washroom on hearing a strange sound. As 007 comes out, flaunting a Walther PPK in his hand, he encounters a ravishing stranger on his bed.
Speaking to Empire, Daniel Craig explained that it has been the process since the start, but he could never understand the reason behind it.
“It’s a tradition, apparently. Why? I’ve never got it out of Barbara yet.”
Not only Craig, but many including us would also have loved to get a concrete answer from Barbara Broccoli. It can be presumed that the scene has a unique Bond feel which makes it a perfect testpaper for all those who dream of donning the role of the tuxedo-clad spy.
Even though it is evident that Daniel Craig cracked the audition, the actor has some other thoughts. He wished Broccoli had destroyed his tape as he never wanted anybody to get hold of it.
Why does Daniel Craig hate his James Bond audition tape?
Daniel Craig admitted that his audition was so “awful” that he could neither bear to watch it again nor wanted anybody to get their hands on it. It is quite a surprising thing as this was the same audition that led him to bag one of the most significant roles in his career. The role that made him a household name and played a huge part in garnering international stardom.
“If she hasn’t destroyed that piece of film yet, I hope she will. It’s awful! I don’t want anybody to ever see it! My eyes were just swimming.”
The fact that the 55-year-old beat some other names like Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, and Colin Salmon also makes it evident that his performance might not be as bad as he states.
Unfortunately, one of the most critically acclaimed versions of James Bond has also ended its run with No Time to Die. Currently, we are on a hunt for the next 007 and there is a basket of possibilities out there. Reportedly, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a possible choice for the role but nothing can be confirmed yet.
All the Daniel Craig James Bond movies can be streamed on Prime Video.
Source: Empire
