BEYOND BOND
Daniel Craig moves past 007 .
BY SONDRA BARR
W hen Daniel Craig was cast as the world ’ s most famous spy in 2005 , most fans instantly took umbrage . A little-known British indie actor at the time , the 37 year old was everything the iconic James Bond was considered not — short , brooding , skinny , blonde , uncharismatic — and most decidedly not Sean Connery , the actor to whom all James Bonds are compared .
Outraged diehard Bond fans set up websites to voice their disapproval — danielcraigisnotbond . com , bondnotblond . com . The press was equally unrelenting with headlines like the Daily Mirror ’ s “ The Name ’ s Bland — James Bland .” Talk of a 007 boycott intensified when Craig arrived by speedboat ( wearing a life jacket , of all things ) at the London press conference unveiling him as the new Bond .
Fans proclaimed that Bond would never be such a wuss as to don a life jacket , nor would he ever be anything but a brunette . Among the biting online comments : “ Bring back Pierce ! Daniel looks like a villain in a Bond movie that gets killed by 007 in the opening sequence .” “ I ’ m sure a blonde could play James Bond , but not someone who ’ s so ugly and uncharismatic as Daniel Craig .”
His previous film credits did nothing to bolster his “ super ” spy cred — Road to Perdition , Layer Cake , and Munich , to name a few . Not to mention the little-seen film , The Mother , in which he plays a carpenter who starts sleeping with a woman in her 60s .
Craig also wasn ’ t especially keen on the 007 role at first . He told GQ , “ It was genuinely like , my life is going to get F *** ed if I do this .” He didn ’ t want to play what he perceived as the campy Pierce Brosnan version of Bond or be saddled with a hopelessly formulaic storyline . And , he realized that once he became the iconic spy there ’ d be no going back to his under the radar existence . Reading the script for Casino Royale changed the actor ’ s mind .
Five Bond films later , it ’ s hard to see anyone besides Craig inhabiting the role . His darker , tougher 007 portrayal has redefined the series and crafted it to be more modern and not as sexist and misogynistic as earlier incarnations .
“ In 2005 , 2006 ,” he told The Independent ’ s Paul Whitington , “ all the social media stuff was still just taking off , and I wasn ’ t used to using it , thank God . I still don ’ t do social media , and as much as there are lots of good things about it , it is a place for hate and I can ’ t imagine how one would cope . All of that is a pressure , but I myself was like , you ’ ve just got to get on with it , get on with the work and do your best .”
And get to work Craig did . His first outing as 007 in Casino Royale necessitated he be well toned and ready for action , something Craig was decidedly not when he showed up for his initial day of training .
26 • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021