Daniel Craig Says He'd Rather Kill Himself Than Be James Bond Again And Doesn't 'Give A Fuck' About Who Plays Bond Next
Time Out London – Can you imagine doing another Bond movie?
‘Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.’
You want to move on from Bond for good?
‘I haven’t given it any thought. For at least a year or two, I just don’t want to think about it. I don’t know what the next step is. I’ve no idea. Not because I’m trying to be cagey. Who the fuck knows? At the moment, we’ve done it. I’m not in discussion with anybody about anything. If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.’
Do you care who plays Bond after you?
‘Look, I don’t give a fuck. Good luck to them! All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we’ve left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that’s all.’
You won’t be backseat-driving then?
‘Oh Christ, no. How fucking sad would that be? “Oh look, it’s Daniel Craig, he’s on set again!” No!’
If an actor was offered Bond and came to you looking for advice, what would you say to him – or her?
‘Literally I’d say two things. Firstly, it’s your decision. Don’t listen to anybody else. Well, do listen to everybody, but you have to make the choice at the end of the day. It’s your bed to lie on. And don’t be shit! Don’t be shit. You’ve got to step up. People do not make movies like this any more. This is really rare now. So don’t be shit.’
And if someone rang you and said: ‘I’ve taken the 007 gig’. What advice would you have for them?
‘Don’t be shit! Go for it. Embrace it. Some clichéd line like that. But no, just make sure you’re great. You’ve got to push yourself as far as you can. It’s worth it, it’s James Bond.’
I like Daniel Craig. I think he was a good casting for James Bond even if I was way more into Clive Owen as the choice at the time, but he really did a great job capturing both the violence and gritty charm of the character, and really any problems with his films were moreso because of the writers and production than anything else (Quantum of Solace poutingly looks down at the ground and kicks a rock). And I get there’s a lot of pressure with being Bond given how much work goes into the massive setpieces in each movie and also the intense criticism from people who grew up with Bond and don’t want to see him fucked up and how much of a clusterfuck the behind the scenes stuff can be with Bond movies.
But coming off a little ungrateful about the whole thing and saying you’d rather kill yourself than be James Bond again? That’s INSANE to me. In some respects, being cast as James Bond is like the ultimate honor for a man. Casting any iconic character is an honor given all the expectations fans have but being cast as James Bond isn’t like being cast as Harry Potter or even Batman. James Bond is presented as being the manliest, baddest motherfucker around, the big swinging dick in a world of big swinging dicks. He fucks everyone’s girl, drives the best cars while wearing the best clothes, and blows up global plots that every government in the world and their armies can’t solve on their own. Every movie is like a love letter to how he’s the coolest and bravest dude alive and, even though it’s a film, you think there’s no carryover to how women perceive Daniel Craig as a result? Being a famous movie star is great for pulling chicks but being a famous movie star playing an iconic superheroic handsome cocksman has to be perfect 10s’ vaginas instinctively pulling towards your dick like a magnet.
Bottom line: Spectre still looks great and I will go see it but be less of a martyr for me, will you Daniel Craig? The world isn’t cumming themselves waiting for Cowboys & Aliens 2, dipshit.
PS Idris Elba for Bond 2016