Daniel Craig‘s era as the international superspy James Bond comes to an end with the release of No Time To Die, the 51-year-old’s final addition to the 007 franchise. As his turn comes to a close, Craig looked back at what attracted him to the role in the first place. It was a single line from the script that caught the British actor’s attention and cinched his decision to take the role.
In an interview with Empire, Craig delved into what it was about Casino Royale that convinced him to take the helm as Bond. “One of the biggest reasons I did Casino Royale is the line, ‘A vodka martini, please.’ ‘Shaken or stirred?’ My reply was written in the script as, ‘Do I look like I give a [expletive]?’ And that’s it. That’s the reason I did it,” said Craig.
Brand New Bond
Changing up the well-known catchphrase opened the role up for more possibilities, according to Craig. “Because what I could not do, and what I refused to do, was repeat what had gone before. What was the [expletive] point?” Craig wanted to leave his own mark on the character, distinguishing it from the various iterations that had come before him.
There was more of a payoff for the actor if he was allowed to change up the formula that had defined the character of James Bond for decades. Rather than audiences seeing a new face do an old character, Craig wanted to show Bond in a new light, no matter the risk. “…I’d rather have just one and gone, ‘Okay, swing and a miss. There you go. Tried my best,'” the actor said. Obviously the gamble paid off, and when No Time To Die is released later this year, Craig will seize the title of longest run as James Bond.
No Time To Lie
While Bond may be used to thrilling lies and mistruths, Craig’s marriage to actress Rachel Weisz has him facing all sorts of tabloid speculation and gossip. For instance, there was the time Star alleged that Weisz kept a “tight leash” on Craig. An anonymous source spoke with the outlet, telling them, “Daniel is under orders to check in with Rachel as soon as he wakes up and the moment before he goes to sleep, without exception.” Gossip Cop didn’t trust this so-called “source” for a moment, so we reached out to Craig’s rep. They told us on the record this story was untrue.
NW also speculated about Craig’s marriage to Weisz, reporting that Craig’s ankle injury was causing problems with Weisz. While Craig did receive a Bond-related injury, Gossip Cop found that it had absolutely no bearing on his marriage. The tabloid relied on an unnamed tipster for its information, which resulted in the outlet publishing unverified rumors.