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  1. Daniel Craig: The Reluctant James Bond

    By Devin Zydel on 2006-11-14

    Daniel Craig has spoken to the BBC News about just how important a decision it was on whether or not to become James Bond #6.

    ‘I don’t think I would have taken the role if it had been a continuation of Bond as we knew him, it just wouldn’t have interested me,’ says Craig.

    As Bond fans and Craig now know however, Casino Royale takes the path less traveled in the history of the cinematic 007. ‘There have been a lot of incarnations of Bond, and the role has changed a lot. As far as I was concerned, the script I got was an actor’s piece, so I was absolutely into doing it.’

    ‘It was important for me to discover who this guy was. By starting at the beginning, as we do with Casino Royale–we were able to do that. I just wanted to make sure that we were seeing a character go through some change within the movie. I started doing it, and nobody said stop–so I just carried on.’

    The overall acceptance of Craig as the new James Bond has been a wild ride from the word go, with complaints over blond hair and lifejackets early on, to the latest reviews labeling Craig as the best Bond since Sean Connery. Craig says: ‘I wasn’t looking for vindication. I’m just very happy with the response.’

    ‘You have to try not to take any of the negativity that comes your way and twist that in on yourself. I wouldn’t have made a commitment to this film unless I thought I could enjoy it–you need that energy level to get through a movie like this.’

    Craig chose ‘the opening sequence in Madagascar,’ which features a chase between Bond and Sebastien Foucan’s Mollaka, as Casino Royale‘s most difficult set piece. ‘Running up the side of a building is emotionally daunting, but it’s physically hard work too. At the same time, it’s exhilarating too.’

    And what about the future for Craig? ‘Nothing has changed. I’m reading scripts, I’m trying to find other stuff I want to do–as I’ve always done. I’m very excited about the idea of going on and doing another [Bond] movie. That was always the aim, to set something up so that we could continue the series.’

    Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest Casino Royale coverage.

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