By Devin Zydel on 2008-05-05
Daniel Craig is James Bond in Quantum of Solace
WARNING: Possible spoilers
As previously mentioned on the CommanderBond.net main page, the Today Show got an exclusive sneak peek (Video 1 | Video 2) earlier this morning into the Austrian set of Quantum of Solace in Bregenz.
Starting off on the ‘eye-opening’ opera stage in Bregenz, Today Show correspondent Ann Curry stated that scenes for the 22nd James Bond film were filmed on the same set just the night before.
Curry also got a chance to sit down with Daniel Craig and discuss his return as 007.
Festival House in Bregenz
‘We’ve got an incredibly talented and rich group of people who are making this movie,’ Craig started off. ‘Everybody’s throwing so much energy into it and working so hard and they want to because everybody’s so proud to be involved with a Bond movie and the Bond franchise itself.’
‘One of the things we were setting up in the last movie was that Bond has begun and it was the beginning of his career and his attitude towards life and things was very narrow-minded. And so this one is more about him coming to terms with that and learning a few things about himself a realizing who he is. He’s James Bond.’
‘I tend to separate what I do and who I am. And that, I think, is what you have to do.’ – Daniel Craig
When asked if he had hurt himself at all during the shooting so far, ‘not badly’ was Craig’s reply.
‘You know, I enjoy the physical side of filming. I always have. I throw myself into it because I get a kick out of it and I think we can achieve and do things that make the plot and storyline move forward much better if I stay involved with as much of the filming as possible.’
Following up a comment by production designer Dennis Gassner that Craig wasn’t all that unlike 007 in some ways, Craig said: ‘Oh, really? I’m as far removed from this person as I could possibly be. This is major acting.’
‘Makes me feel a bit awkward, really,’ added Craig when told Sir Sean Connery was a fan of his portrayal of Bond. ‘I mean, it’s very nice. It’s a huge compliment.’
Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ Set at Bregenz
(Images copyright Bruno Klomfar and Karl Forster)
Craig continued: ‘I like the job. It’s the collective persons making a film that gives me the most joy. Working with interesting and talented people–they inspire you. For me, that’s always been the most essential part of what I do.’
‘I try and mix it up as much as possible. If I can, I try and do stuff that’s not necessarily the most obvious thing to do.’ – Daniel Craig
‘On Casino Royale, I’d never done something on that scale before. I’d never been involved so closely in something like that so it created very different feelings for me and very different challenges compared to the movies I’d done before. And the outcome was also very different because we had a great success with it.’
Director Marc Forster
Finishing things off, Craig put some rumours to rest: ‘There’s a misconception about me that I have a problem with doing interviews, but I really don’t. I kind of enjoy them. And I’m enjoying this one.’
The show also featured an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the the floating stage with the ‘Tosca’ set.
On a tour of the location, director Marc Forster described the sequence as it will appear in the finished film. ‘It’s basically about Bond overlooking Greene, who is the villain in the movie,’ he said. ‘Bond is following the villain into this opera.’
Olga Kurylenko is Camille in Quantum of Solace
Forster was also quick to reply following Curry’s mention that Quantum of Solace was a revenge movie. ‘I wouldn’t call it revenge. He’s just psychologically damaged.’
‘We’ve done Daniel incredibly elegantly in Tom Ford.’ – Costume designer Louise Frogley
‘It’s been an amazing journey,’ added Dennis Gassner. ‘[Craig] is James Bond and I’ve taken the great angular face and those great blue eyes and used that as our pattern language for the film.’
Besides the actual set, the Today Show production also visited the props and make-up department, where Anatole Taubman (who plays one of the henchmen in the film, Elvis) was being prepared for a scene.
Mathieu Amalric is Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace
Speaking with lead villain Mathieu Amalric, Curry asked him why he signed on for the role: ‘Well, listen,’ he said. ‘If someone calls you one morning and asks you “do you want to be the James Bond girl?”, would you hesitate? It’s the same thing.’
The Today Show production also briefly visited Olga Kurylenko in her dressing room during a break. When asked if the rumours were true that her character Camille would be the very first Bond girl who didn’t lock lips with 007, Kurylenko only playfully evaded the question.
CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.
