Daniel Craig has admitted that the level of fame that came with playing James Bond was “emotionally difficult” for both him and his family.
The actor played the British spy in the 007 franchise from 2006 film Casino Royale right through to No Time to Die in 2022. The 56-year-old had the longest continuous reign as the lead in the movie franchise based on the novels first released by Ian Fleming in 1953.
Speaking recently with film critic Mark Kermode and the BFI in London, Craig said that although he enjoyed playing Bond, it did have its drawbacks.
“I loved every second of it. I mean, some of it was tough and weird and strange and emotionally kind of difficult for everybody, including my family. The fame is weird,” said Craig, as per Variety.
Craig is married to fellow actor Rachel Weisz, who he shares a child with. In November, he said that stepping away from Bond has required him to rethink his career path.
“I’ve got a six-year-old at home,” Craig shared, referencing his daughter with Weisz, 54. “And I don’t want to be away from home as much as I have in the past.”
The actor, who is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for his role in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, was also asked about reprising the role of detective Benoit Blanc in forthcoming Knives Out film Wake Up Dead Man, due for release in 2025.
When asked about the future of the Knives Out movies, he said if Johnson “keeps writing them like that, then yes, I will play it”. He also joked that “it’s much easier on the limbs” than playing Bond.
Craig’s successor as James Bond is yet to be officially confirmed but the franchise’s producer, Barbara Broccoli has said the next actor who takes on the iconic role will be in his 30s and not necessarily white.
“It’s a big decision,” she told the Associated Press while talking about who could take the mantle.
Broccoli said she is prepared to deal with the backlash that inevitably comes after a new name is announced, as happened when Craig was cast.
“Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction,” Broccoli’s co-producer and brother Michael G Wilson said.
“Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”
