For many actors, the chance to take on a role likeJames Bondis one that brings guaranteed big screen success and a huge career boost that cannot often come for granted in Hollywood. However, forDaniel Craig, it was both an exhausting and sometimes restrictive part, which prevented him playing certain other roles, like his new role in the movieQueer.
Craig’s run of Bond movies began withCasino Royalein 2006, andcame to a dramatic end in the blockbuster hitNo Time to Die. Despite instantly cementing himself as one of the greatest James Bonds of all time, it seems that the hefty paycheck and worldwide recognition came with another price for Craig, as he revealed while speaking toThe Sunday Times. Speaking about why he believed playing Bond prevented him taking on roles like his latest, he said:
“I couldn’t have done this (Queer) while doing Bond. It would look reactionary, like I was showing my range.”
InQueer,Craig plays American expat William Lee, a war veteran who has a romance with a younger man, who is also a drug addict and a former Navy serviceman. The role is one that allows Craig to show a different side to his action and tough guy roles, and it is clear to see why he would think that taking on such a part could be seen as him trying to simply prove himself.
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Continuing on, Craig commented on the workload that came with playing James Bond, and how he often couldn’t really think about working on other projects immediately after a Bond movie because he was “exhausted.” He said:
‘Early on with Bond I thought I had to do other work, but I didn’t. I was becoming a star, whatever that means, and people wanted me in their films. Incredible. Most actors are out of work for large chunks so you take your job offers - but they left me empty. Then, bottom line, I got paid. I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond it would take me six months to recover emotionally. I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out.’
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Strangely, Craig kind of predicted the way taking on the role of Bond would have a big impact on his career, as he almost turned down the offer to play the super spy due to thinking it could limit his other opportunities. In the end, he made the choice to fully commit to the role, which was required due to the extensive work it involved.
“Bond is your life when you’re doing it - each movie is about two years out of your life; you’re away from home for over six months; and the idea of fitting someone else in because of the need to prove to the world that I’ve got range, it’s kind of ridiculous, so I stopped doing that. There’s some movies I did do that I was incredibly proud of. But I was exhausted while doing those films. It was better just to concentrate on the Bonds.”
No Time to Die
