Daniel Craig is an actor par excellence who has continued to entertain and captivate audiences with his powerful depictions in each of his projects. In his storied career, he has played many influential, challenging, and fascinating roles, which have helped him prove his versatility as an artist. The actor gained the attention of Hollywood heavyweights and shot to superstardom for effortlessly playing the role of James Bond in the lucrative spy film series.
He made his character debut as the secret Agent 007, starting with the 2006 Casino Royale, and then reprised his role in the follow-up sequels. While the actor earned critical acclaim for playing this epic role convincingly in the five installments of the James Bond franchise, he once revealed how many fans considered Casino Royale as not part of the James Bond series because it was a reboot. In a previous interview, Craig shared that many people even slammed his depiction of 007, calling him “f**king ugly.”
Daniel Craig Reveals Why Fans Criticized His James Bond Film Casino Royale
In a candid interview with Empire Online magazine, Hollywood star Daniel Craig opened up about the criticism he received from James Bond fans when he made his character debut as 007 in the 2006 film Casino Royale. The actor also shared how many fans at the time argued that this spy film was not a James Bond movie because it was a reboot. Craig told Empire Online,
“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. 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 fucked up.
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He continued,
“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,” adding, “It’s Casino f**king Royale, for Christ’s sake. It’s the defining Ian Fleming book!”
Daniel Craig claimed that just because Casino Royale serves as a series reboot doesn’t mean it was not a James Bond film. Craig also shared how many fans were initially not thrilled with his involvement in the project and slammed his depiction as 007.
Daniel Craig Shares His Experience Working in the Film
During his conversation with Empire Online, Daniel Craig revealed his experience working in his film Casino Royale. The actor also shared how he faced many challenges while filming this project, saying,
“I learned from day one that it was gonna hurt, and the whole film really did hurt. Just pain. But if I was hurting, the stunt guys were hurting ten times more than I was. I just had to suck it up and get on with it. Think what it’s like when you bang your elbow on the table. Now times, that by ten, ten times an hour. That’s kind of…No, that’s actually a f**king stupid way of putting it! It was like being beaten round the head and neck with a stick, most days. I think Pierce (Brosnan) said it best: ‘If you’re not getting hurt, you’re not doing it properly.'”
Martin Campbell-directed spy film earned critical acclaim and positive reviews from the audience and critics alike. Despite the criticism Daniel Craig received during his casting as James Bond in the titular movie that grossed $616M at the global box office, the actor proved himself to be the right choice to play this iconic character, which earned him several awards and immense praise from fans.
Casino Royale is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Empire Online magazine
