Daniel Craig rocketed to fame as MI6 agent James Bond, with the star playing the iconic character for 15 years between 2006 and 2021, appearing in five separate films.
However, since stepping away from the role, Daniel has been embracing different roles, from southern detective Benoit Blanc in the critically acclaimed Knives Out series to drifter expat William Lee in Queer. HELLO!'s Acting TV and Film Editor Nicky Morris noted: "While for years Daniel Craig was famed for playing the seriously cool yet emotionally complex 007 in the action-fuelled James Bond franchise, he's embraced more character-driven, non-physical parts in recent years, like the flamboyant detective Benoit Blanc in Knives Out and the drug-addled writer in Queer."
And in a new interview with The Radio Times ahead of the release of the third Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man, the star has spoken about pursuing different roles.
"I'm not saying no to things that I might have been a little bit wary about before," he explained. "When the Bond thing was going on in my life, the juxtaposition between that and another role would sometimes feel self-conscious."
The 57-year-old continued: "I'm working harder than I ever have, but I'm also just enjoying it more than I ever have. I get to do really interesting, different stuff."
Daniel also mentioned in the interview that he was happy to continue playing Benoit Blanc, so long as director Rian Johnson "keeps inventing" each entry in the way he currently has done.
Relationship with Bond role
Towards the end of his time as James Bond, Daniel started speaking out against the physical demands that the role demanded of him. While filming for SPECTRE, his fourth outing as the spy, the star broke his leg. He later remarked that he would rather "slash his wrists" than return to the role, although he did come back for his fifth and final entry.
He later expressed regret about his comment, telling The Radio Times in 2021: "To be completely honest, I was thinking: I don’t know if I can do another one of these. I finished filming Spectre with a broken leg.
© Danjaq/Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock"To your point about being in my 50s now, I thought, 'Do I have this in me? Do I want to go through all of this?' I needed a break. But a little more skill in the answer might have been better. I was joking, but it came across as ungrateful."
Speaking to The Guardian in 2015 about the impact of the role on his life, he explained: "You know, it sounds awful, but I've been left a wealthy man by doing this. I can afford to live very comfortably. Things are taken care of. Family and kids are taken care of and that's a massive relief in anybody's life. I'm incredibly fortunate."
Future of the Bond series
Daniel Craig stepped away from the role following his final outing, No Time to Die, and the search is still on for the next actor to step into the legendary tuxedo. Among those hotly rumoured include Taron Egerton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Callum Turner.
© Nicola Dove/MGM/THA/ShutterstockThe franchise has also had a major change as Amazon secured the rights to the film series, taking it away from long-time producers Eon Productions. The change follows Amazon's 2022 acquisition of MGM, which gave the tech giant significant control over Bond’s distribution and intellectual property rights.
Back in June, it was announced that Denis Villeneuve, the director of the recent Dune films, will direct the next entry in the James Bond series. "Some of my earliest moviegoing memories are connected to 007," Denis said in a statement. "I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery."
