Daniel Craig reveals why he initially refused to play James Bond: 'My arrogance was unbelievable'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Daniel Craig opened up on having reservations about taking on the role of the iconic British spy, James Bond, while appearing on 'The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter Podcast', reported the Daily Mail on Sunday, December 1.
The 56-year-old has portrayed 007 in five movies, starting from 'Casino Royale' in 2006 to 'No Time To Die' in 2021, where the character that has graced the silver screen since 1962 apparently died for the very first time.
Why did Daniel Craig initially refuse to play James Bond?
Daniel Craig was asked in the podcast if he was nervous about accepting the role, which was previously played by stars such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan, among others.
"Yes, for sure. That's why I turned it down," replied Craig, adding "I mean, I said, 'No.' There wasn't a script at the time, so again, my arrogance was unbelievable, but I was just like, 'Well, until I see a script, I couldn't possibly make a decision.'"
"And it was fear, exactly what you're talking about, of that thing and many others, how it would flip my life," he continued. "I was making a pretty good living at the time, so if I spent my life doing what I was doing at the time, I would've been more than happy. But it was really one of those things where - I mean to be typecast as James Bond? Boo-hoo," he said.
To showcase his versatility as an actor, Craig took on other roles during the time he was playing 007, but the actor said that the effort left him "exhausted."
"I think I felt that I had to prove myself. And after a while I just realized that I didn't have the energy to do that," he said.
"It's not knocking movies like 'Defiance', because I'm very proud of them. But 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," Craig went on to explain, adding "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."
Daniel Craig's cryptic hint about the next James Bond movie
Earlier in the same day, Daniel Craig apparently dropped a sly hint at who the next actor to step into the sharp tux of Bond could be.
While presenting the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the 'Knives Out' star said that the upcoming Bond could very well be in the audience.
Actors Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Theo James are speculated to be in line to become 007, according to the Daily Mail, and Craig's hint could have meant either of them.
"Let’s just get something out of the way," said Craig at the beginning of his speech. "If you came here this evening to find out who the next James Bond is, don’t look at me, but he might be in the room. I’m just joking. Maybe I’m not," he said.
