Daniel Craig looks back on the initial backlash to his James Bond casting and reveals his reaction to it. Craig first played the iconic British spy in 2006's Casino Royale and has appeared in five 007 moves in total. With No Time to Die, recently released in the U.K. and out this week in the U.S. and Canada, he completes his tenure. No Time to Die was once slated for release in spring 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed it multiple times. As Craig has now received a longer-than-expected sendoff, there's been plenty of time to reflect on how far he's come.
Craig took over the role of Bond after Pierce Brosnan vacated it in 2002. Though Craig is now the definitive Bond for this day and age, there was pushback from fans when he was first cast. Some felt he didn't look the part with his blonde hair and shorter stature, while others believed he wouldn't be able to carry out the necessary action scenes. The James Bond franchise's casting director, Debbie McWilliams, recently looked back on the backlash and recalled feeling sorry for Craig.
In a recent interview with USA Today, Craig also reflected on the negative reception that clouded his initial introduction to Bond. Though any actor would be disappointed to hear that kind of fan reaction to their casting, Craig admitted he can laugh about it now, and that he "could laugh then, too." He then expanded on his thoughts, explaining that while he knew the things being said were "heavy," he understood it all:
I mean, what was I going to do? Go out and punch (someone)? The only thing I could do is make a good movie. I'm not on social media and I'm glad that didn't really exist back then. All that sort of online stuff, I didn't really understand. I read it and was like, 'This is heavy.' But I understood it, you know? People are passionate about Bond movies.
Much of Craig's critics were silenced upon Casino Royale's release, which cemented his status as the new Bond to great success. Craig's time in the James Bond franchise has been defined by different subversions of the typical tropes that followed the spy from movie to movie. His Bond is more serious and introspective, which allowed all of his films to take a new approach to the character. That has extended into No Time to Die, a movie that gives Bond perhaps his most personal story yet.
If they haven't already, all eyes will soon turn to who the next James Bond will be. The producers behind the franchise have said they've yet to begin contemplating who could take on the part next, so fans shouldn't expect a casting announcement until 2022 at the earliest. Undoubtedly, there will be some strong opinions about the next Bond, as that always happens when someone is tapped to play a beloved character. Hopefully, though, the backlash to Craig's successor won't be as strong as it was for him. And if it is, hopefully they will be able to handle it with the grace that Craig himself did.
Source: USA Today
