Daniel Craig was very clear about not returning to the big screen as James Bond. He wanted to explore other stories, other characters and he believes that he couldn’t have done so while playing Bond in the future.
Daniel Craig will next be seen in Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” in which he plays William Lee, an American expat who becomes infatuated with a discharged US Navy serviceman named Eugene Allerton played by Drew Starkey. The film is based on the 1985 semi-autobiographical novels of the same name by William S Burroughs. Speaking about the limitations of playing the world’s most famous spy on screen to The Sunday Times, Daniel Craig said, “I couldn’t have done this while doing Bond. It would look reactionary, like I was showing my range.”
He continued, “Early on with Bond I thought I had to do other work, but I didn’t. I was becoming a star, whatever that means, and people wanted me in their films. Incredible. Most actors are out of work for large chunks so you take your job offers — but they left me empty. Then, bottom line, I got paid.
“I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond, it would take me six months to recover emotionally. I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out.”
Daniel Craig played the titular British Secret Service agent in five Bond movies from 2006 to 2021. He first starred as 007 in Casino Royale and ended his James Bond run with No Time to Die. Daniel was coaxed by the makers to star in future James Bond films but he declined the offer. (Agencies)
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