Exit Interview of the ‘Grumpy’ James Bond
More than a year and a half ago, Daniel Craig and I met in New York to talk about his final James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” and bid farewell to that suave superspy he had been playing since 2006.
Two days later, MGM announced it was delaying the release of “No Time to Die” until November, and the world plunged into the pandemic.
MGM delayed the film twice more; the movie is now finally in global release.
It has been an awkward, drawnout send-off for the 53-year-old Mr. Craig, who, from the moment he was chosen to succeed Pierce Brosnan as 007, was never an obvious or elegant fit for the character. His looks were too rugged; his film résumé was too thin; his hair was too blond.
As Mr. Craig told me in that initial interview, he assumed he had been invited to audition as cannon fodder, to make it easier to choose someone else for the part. “I was just amongst the mix — someone to dismiss,” he said, adding that, at best, he thought he would get a dispensable villain’s role: “Here you go, have a baddie.”
Instead, Mr. Craig parlayed his debut, “Casino Royale,” into the 2008 follow-up, “Quantum of Solace,” and the more epic-length sequels “Skyfall” (2012) and “Spectre” (2015). His Bond movies have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide.
Mr. Craig said that he wanted one more go at his sullen, stolid Bond to complete the story that “Casino Royale” began.
“There’s a consistency which I wanted to put into it,” he told me then, adding with a laugh: “Maybe I’ll be remembered as the Grumpy Bond. I don’t know. That’s just my Bond and I have to face up to it, that has been my Bond. But I’m quite satisfied with that.”
When we talked again in September, Mr. Craig was both his guarded self and more relaxed. And the tightlipped star had one more secret up his sleeve: It was announced on September 29 that Mr. Craig is starring in a new Broadway production of “Macbeth,” playing alongside Ruth Negga as Lady Macbeth. (This production is expected to open on April 28.)
Mr. Craig shared his final reflections on James Bond. These are edited excerpts.
What has the last year and a half been like for you? How are things?
I’m incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful family and also to have had a place out of the city where we could go and get away from the craziness. It’s been a tough year for everybody.
There is a video clip making the rounds from a speech when you addressed your colleagues and crew at the end of filming “No Time to Die.” You teared up at the end, and it was very comforting to me to see you show emotion — that you could be vulnerable that way.
I don’t show myself to the world as much as maybe people would like,
but that’s my choice. It’s got me probably into trouble. But I’m an incredibly emotional human being. I’m an actor. I mean, that’s what I do for a living. And the clip you’re talking about is the end of 15 years of my life that I’ve put everything I can into. I would be some kind of sociopath not to get a little bit choked up at the end of that.
What will you miss about Bond?
I’ll miss the massive team effort that it takes. It’s nearly five years since we started this project, as frustrating and sort of anxiety-making as that can be. Sometimes it feels like it’s not going to happen, but it’s an incredibly creative process and I will miss that. I’ve got other projects I do, and they’ll reward me, but there’s nothing quite like a Bond movie.
Anything in particular about the character himself?
I’ve done him. I’ve given all I can. He’s as there as he’ll ever be for me.
You’re a parent. Do you think Bond will mean something to your children and their generation?
I don’t understand kids that well. They’re an enigma to me, and if they do get something out of these movies in the future, then that’s their journey, not mine.
Do you have any involvement in the search for whoever your successor will be?
None whatsoever. Whoever does it, good luck to them. I hope they have just as great a time as I’ve had.
As you were saying goodbye to Bond, you found success with the role of Benoit Blanc, and “Knives Out” is becoming a franchise of its own. Do you feel at all like Michael Corleone in “The Godfather: Part III” — “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”?
Listen, write that if you want to. [Laughs.] I mean, how lucky am I?
There was a playful elusiveness and a comfort that Benoit Blanc had about him, almost in deliberate contrast to Bond’s rigidity. Did you feel like that role gave a much longer leash?
It’s just the nature of the part, though. Bond is what he is, and Benoit is very different. Not to be blunt, but as an actor, that’s my job, play parts that are different.
You’re returning to Broadway next year to star in “Macbeth.” What got you interested in that particular play?
It’s the only other Shakespeare play I’ve read. [Laughs.] No, it’s always been one of my favorites. It’s very difficult. It’s fast-paced and not particularly long. There’s an opportunity to do something. Broadway has taken such a kicking, like every other industry, and to do something spectacular and magical and weird, to try to get that on Broadway and help out and give it as much of a boost as possible.