Daniel Craig has revealed his favorite James Bond gadget ever, and it’s not one he uses in No Time to Die. The British star has concluded his fifteen-year tenure as 007 with the release of the new film, ending one of the franchise’s most beloved and successful eras since the days of Sean Connery’s Bond. While Craig’s James Bond era has kept many of the hallmarks of the series intact, his films have featured notably fewer and less silly gadgets than early iterations of 007.
The James Bond gadget is as central to the character and the franchise at large as shaken martinis, Aston Martins, secret villain organizations, and snazzy suits. The popular character Q, played in the Craig 007 era by Ben Whishaw, exists primarily just to equip Bond with handy and often ridiculous tools to aid in his spying activities. Jetpacks, knife shoes, bird hats, hidden cameras, secret gas canisters, poison, weaponized cigarettes, submarine cars, and more have all played their role in Bond’s adventures over the years, but none of those earn the prestigious title of Craig’s favorite James Bond gadget.
In a recent video for GQ discussing No Time to Die and his time in the James Bond role, Craig revealed his favorite 007 gadget – the mysterious safe-cracker box from Connery’s You Only Live Twice. Craig explains that for him, gadgets have to be simple, but obviously still intriguing and fun. He clearly has a great respect for Connery’s James Bond era, as most do. Read Craig’s full quote below.
“My favorite gadget is, I think Sean Connery used to use it, it was sort of like a silver box with a switch on it, and a red light went on. I don’t know what it did, but it kind of opened doors, it kinda blew things up, and it was, you know, simple. Simple is best as far as gadgets are concerned.”
Connery’s mysterious unlocking machine in You Only Live Twice is a fun piece of James Bond’s arsenal, and one which has yet to be replicated in real life. The film featured a number of other, sillier gadgets as well, including a waterproof body bag, a handbag communicator, rocket guns, lipstick gas, and an x-ray desk. Out of the lot, the safe opener seems like the one that would fit best in Craig’s James Bond era, so it makes sense that it would be his favorite.
It should be interesting to see where the next actor to play James Bond takes the spy’s classic gadgets. Craig’s 007 was far more grounded and realistic than those who’d come before, leading to fewer overall gadgets, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the next James Bond will continue that trend. The James Bond franchise could potentially get more fantastical again after No Time to Die, leading to a renaissance of spy gadgets for the next star to toy around with in Q’s lab and out in the field.
Source: GQ
