Daniel Craig Confirms What We Suspected About His Time As James Bond
Daniel Craig truly embodied the spirit of James Bond. Since 2006, the British-born actor, 53, has donned the black tux long associated with the secret agent. With his chiseled good looks and impeccable charisma, no one made for a better modern-day Bond than Craig. However, after playing the fictional character for nearly 10 years, Craig had some harsh words for the franchise back in 2015.
Ahead of the 2015 release of "Spectre," the actor told CNN, "Can you imagine doing another Bond movie?... Now?" Craig didn't mince any words, going on to state, "I'm over it at the moment. We're done. All I want to do is move on." Regardless, Craig would return as Bond one last time in 2021's "No Time to Die" alongside Rami Malek — an outing that received mostly positive reviews.
Now, with his time as James Bond officially behind him, Daniel Craig is opening up about his last days as the British spy.
Daniel Craig reveals he wanted this done in the final 'James Bond' film
Spoilers below for "No Time To Die."
For 15 years, Daniel Craig portrayed British secret agent James Bond on the big screen. Starring as the spy in five films, Craig finally called it a day with 2021's "No Time to Die." Now, Craig is opening up about what he planned all along as the franchise's torchbearer.
Speaking on the "Awards Chatter" podcast, the actor revealed he wanted Bond killed off at the end of the series — a wish he was ultimately granted. Following the premiere of 2006's "Casino Royale" (his debut as Bond), Craig recalled sitting down with boss Barbara Broccoli as they celebrated the successful launch. According to the Daily Mail, he asked Broccoli, "How many of these movies do I have to make?" to which she responded, "Four."
Taken aback, Craig then asked, "If I make four can I kill him off at the end?” And she paused, and she just went 'yes.'" He noted he "had a sort of plan in my head, I don't know what the plan was... if we got it to a place, then they needed to re-set." In resetting, Craig "felt like 'get rid of my version and someone else can start... their version,'" further adding the need for an "emotional arc."
"No Time to Die" ultimately was a major success, grossing $774 million at the global box office. In fact, co-star Rami Malek even noted Prince William and Kate Middleton seemed to "love" the film!