Daniel Craig originally passed on the opportunity to play the new James Bond; here's why he was hesitant to play 007. As Pierce Brosnan's time as James Bond neared its end in the early 2000s, Eon Productions needed to find a new actor to take over the franchise. The reboot of the series began in 2006 with the release of Casino Royale, which introduced audiences to the seventh actor to play 007 in a movie, Daniel Craig.
While Craig ultimately got the part, he was not the only actor who was up for James Bond. Henry Cavill was the top choice of Casino Royale director Martin Campbell, but was not selected for the role since he was still in his early 20s. The studio also met with Sam Worthington (Avatar), Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four), Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0), Clive Owen (Children of Men), Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II), and Goran Višnjić (ER). Despite these other contenders, Craig was the studio's favorite to play the next James Bond - but he didn't want to at first.
The main reason Daniel Craig didn't want to be James Bond was the fame that comes with it. Instead of being an actor who could still be somewhat unknown, Craig knew that playing 007 would immediately make him one of the most recognizable people on the planet. He told GQ, "It was genuinely like, my life is going to get f***ed if I do this." Craig also didn't want to play a James Bond that was similar in tone and style as Brosnan and others. Once he read the script for Casino Royale though, Craig realized that the character was set to go in a new direction. This helped relieve any remaining doubts Craig had about taking on the role and he officially agreed to play James Bond in 2005.
There's no question that Craig's life was forever changed once he agreed to play James Bond, as it has been a career-defining role for more than a decade. Instead of making more independent films and remaining out of the spotlight, Craig has starred in four Bond movies and several other blockbusters. His stardom helped propel Skyfall to be the only Bond movie to gross over $1 billion worldwide, and his four Bond films have made over $3 billion combined.
Playing James Bond did change Daniel Craig's life, but his time in the role is coming to an end soon. He's set to star in one more Bond movie, No Time To Die, which is currently scheduled to be released near the end of 2020. The film was previously going to hit theaters in April 2020 but was delayed due to coronavirus. No Time To Die will be Craig's fifth and final time playing 007 and put an end to a 14-year run as the character. But, the fame that came with playing James Bond will stick with Daniel Craig for the rest of his life.
