There have been several actors who have portrayed the popular MI6 agent James Bond, aka 007, on-screen. And the English actor Daniel Craig is considered to have given some of the best and most successful films under the franchise. He debuted as James Bond with the 2006 film Casino Royale and concluded his journey with the 2021 film No Time to Die. While fans loved seeing Craig starring in the franchise, it was not as enjoyable for the actor himself.
He has been very open about his experience playing the character. And during a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, the Knives Out star shared that he did not want to continue playing the character at a point in time, yet he wasn’t allowed to leave it.
Daniel Craig Wanted to Leave James Bond Franchise
Daniel Craig featured in a total of five James Bond movies from 2006 to 2021, all of which did pretty great at the box office and also gained critics’ praise as well. While he was praised for his performances as James Bond, the actor was starting to get frustrated by playing the popular character.
After the 2012 film Skyfall, Craig was set to star in two more movies in the franchise. However, the Layer Cake actor did not seem too thrilled about his future as James Bond. “I’ve been trying to get out of this from the very moment I got into it, but they won’t let me go,” he said.
Craig shared that he has agreed to do a “couple more” movies. And he also mentioned that things might no go as planned as “business is business, and if the sh*t goes down, I’ve got a contract that somebody will happily wipe their as* with.”
Skyfall, however, went on to become one of the most successful James Bond movies of all time, grossing over $1 billion at the box office. He then starred in the 2015 film Spectre, which he expected to be his last film in the franchise. However, he did return as 007 for one last time in No Time to Die.
Playing James Bond Took a Toll on Daniel Craig’s Body
Daniel Craig was 38 years old when he starred in his first James Bond movie and played the character for 15 years. While he expected the 2015 film Spectre to be his last film, the studio still had plans for 007. However, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to continue due to the toll the franchise has had on his body. Craig shared that he “was physically not capable of doing another.”
He claimed that it was clear to him that he did not want to come back to the franchise. The makers also reportedly waited a long time before approaching the Dream House actor for his last film as James Bond. Although he did not like playing the character, he shared that he was grateful to be a part of one of the most successful franchises.
Source: Rolling Stone
