Daniel Craig
Spotlight By: Benjamin Lee
There are a select few roles in Hollywood that carry enough weight to instantly propel a smaller actor into the A-List. Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Harry Potter and of course James Bond.
Ever since Pierce Brosnan was ousted by producers, the search for a new 007 was one which attracted a truckload of publicity. The bookies favorite was Clive Owen while Hugh Jackman was a close second. But in April 2005, many were surprised by the choice of blond character actor Daniel Craig being announced as the new Bond.
Before Bond, British actor Daniel Craig was best known by multiplex audiences for a number of supporting roles in Road To Perdition, Munich and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Many were outraged by the choice and some even launched a hate campaign against the new choice but Craig stayed resilient and has now delivered what many are calling the best Bond performance yet. But for Craig, dodging the bad publicity was one of Bond's toughest missions.
'It affected me in a negative way' Craig confesses, 'But it spurred me on and the only way I can answer them is to present the movie and say look if you still don't like it then there's no answer'. Craig's method of dealing with bad press' 'Throw the laptop out the window!'. Once Craig got the much-coveted role, a heavy training process followed. 'I hit the gym. I started running, I gave up smoking and just started pushing weights. I had a trainer which was essential - you need to be pushed. I wanted to get as fit as I possibly could and if I took my shirt off you'd say yeah he could do that'.
Although Craig was handpicked by the producers, he originally turned down the role. 'I was incredibly honored but I approached it as I approach everything else' Craig states 'I said show me a script and I'll make a decision and they didn't have a script. I walked away and said I can't do this but Barbara (Broccoli) is very persuasive. She made me an offer I couldn't refuse'. Craig finally agreed and when he was given the role he celebrated in a way that only Bond would. 'I had about three or four very large vodka martinis'.
Casino Royale, sees the story of Bond go way back to the beginning as we see a grittier, less refined agent involved in bringing down a terrorist. What differentiates this Bond from the others is the lack of his trademark wisecracks and a newfound vulnerability. This Bond bleeds just like the rest of us. It was this which attracted Craig to the movie.
'I was absolutely sure that if we didn't see him go through some sort of change then it would just be a rehash of something we've seen before' Craig says 'And I just wasn't gonna get involved with that. It had to be a challenge'. Although some things never change 'He's a sexist pig and I like to think he still is!'.
In the movie, Bond must beat villainous Le Chiffre at an all-important game of poker. But although Craig was already familiar with the game itself, he stressed that it wasn't just about the cards being dealt 'It's not about the cards' Craig says 'It's like a cowboy movie in a saloon. It's about the conflict between the two of us. What's great about me and Mads (Mikkelson) is that we never have a physical fight. It's a mental one, over the card table'.
Speaking of conflict, Pierce Brosnan was famously peeved at being replaced and Craig admits the two have spoken recently. 'I did speak to him and he's been great. He's been very supportive and I can't thank him enough for that' Craig states 'He just sort of went get on with it, do it. Go for it. Support is the issue here and they all helped me to ignore what was being said'.
Casino Royale is based on the first Bond novel from Ian Fleming and has been made into a film before back in 1967. But Craig admits it wasn't much of a basis. 'It's a mess' he admits 'It's a psychedelic mess. It's just of it's time. But I did read the book. What you see up on screen is a testament to Ian Fleming's writing'.
For 38-year-old Craig, mainstream success has come at a later stage than for most leading men. For him though, he thinks it has come at just the right time. 'I couldn't have approached this 5 years ago, certainly not 10 years ago' Craig admits 'I just wouldn't have known how to deal with it'. He now is aware of what will come with such a big role. 'There's gonna be an invasion of my privacy and I've got to try and retain that' Craig stresses 'It's a basic human right but I understand I will be losing some of that and I've got to try and figure out how to deal with it'.
When it comes to future Bonds, Craig is already signed up to two more but he insists he won't just take on any new adventure without careful consideration. 'If there is to be another Bond movie now it has to be because we've set it up otherwise I'm just filling in until the next guy and I just didn't wanna do that'.
Despite the initial outcry, it seems that even the hardcore fans have been pleased by Daniel Craig's first outing as the world's most famous secret agent. While he tries to play it cool, his new status as 007 has transformed his career and silenced his critics. It seems blond is indeed the new black.
