Saturday October 18, 2008
Mediocrity not an option
Having to hit the gym and go on a diet again is no fun, but Daniel Craig is determined to make an even better Bond movie the second time around.
Q: Have you always known that you wanted to be an actor?
A: I only know that because there’s an essay my mum kept which I wrote at school, saying that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’m sure I had other ideas along the way, I think at one point I wanted to be a marine biologist, and probably also a spaceman, but acting was always in there.
Then when I was 16, I left school and I didn’t know what to do with myself, so my mother gave me a little nudge to go out of the door and do it. I came down to London and joined the National Youth Theatre and then I went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for three years where they taught me how to be a stage actor, and then I came out and . . . here I am. It’s worked out well, really!
Q: The scene of you emerging from the surf in those now-legendary tight 70s’ cut swim-shorts has become a phenomenon. How do you feel about it?
A: Was it a conscious decision of mine when I looked at that particular photograph and went ‘You look good’ to let it go? Yes, probably. It did what it had to do at the time. Of course, it won’t go away now. If I ever get to a grand old age, hopefully drunk, sitting in a corner of a bar, mumbling, I’d probably be pleased that picture was taken. I have to see the funny side of it, but it would be nice if they moved on. They need to find a better subject. There surely must be other pictures of blokes in their knickers
I have to keep hold of my sense of humour, because you can lose it very quickly and start retreating into yourself; then you can’t go anywhere unless you’re with armed guards. People trying to take pictures of me when I’m having a piss is not welcome and never will be. And yes, that’s happened.
Q: What is it like to find yourself suddenly becoming famous?
A: It’s a high-class problem, and it’s nothing I should complain about because I also get huge benefits. But what I miss is having a quiet pint in a pub. I can’t do that anymore without someone coming up and not exactly hassling me, but sort of wanting to get involved in talking to me. I can’t sit quietly in a pub for much longer than it takes to drink two pints. Then again, I can drink two pints quickly, so it all works out fine in the end (laughs).
Privacy is a hugely important part of my life. Celebrity makes me nervous. There is a side of my life that I just choose not to share, because I need to protect my family and friends.
Q: Casino Royale re-invented 007 to the tune of £293mil and earned you a Bafta nomination €” not something Roger Moore or Sean Connery can boast of. What do you think are the audience expectations for Quantum Of Solace?
A: Weirdly enough, I think the pressure is doubled now. For the last one, there were no parameters, but now we have set them and go beyond them, otherwise there’s no point in doing it. It’s about a whole thought process, from designer to cameraman, to be on the same page and wanting to achieve something. If you’re making movies that are swollen with cash, it’s easy to sit back and think everything is covered. You’ve got to watch things; everyone has to be on their toes. Mediocrity is not an option.
Q: You mentioned that one of the worst things about going back into production is watching the diet and getting back into shape.
A: I was big for the last one, but I won’t be as “no-neck” as I was then. I’m doing more boxing and running, but he (Bond) still needs to look like he can kill someone when he takes his shirt off. It’s a pain, but afterwards you have a chance to blow out.
We promoted the film round the world and every city we visited we were lucky enough to visit the best restaurant they had. I hadn’t touched food I really loved for seven months, so I was like, ‘Right, I’m eating this and sod you all’.
“I’ve never drunk vodka martinis in my life but, f***ing hell, I drank bucket-loads of them. We celebrated. I had a wild time, well not a wild time but I definitely relaxed. It was such a relief that it wasn’t a flop.
I felt I had to soak up every minute, as it might not be like that next time round. I think it’s my Northern sensibilities €” you don’t know what’s going to happen, we’re all doomed!
Q: Quantum Of Solace makes the first genuine James Bond sequel.
A: It starts literally one hour after Casino Royale. We head straight in. The emotional journey is set. The organisation is responsible for killing the love of his life, so there’s vengeance in mind.
Q: How was it working with director Marc Forster?
A: His real ability is storytelling. Having somebody at the helm who’s controlling how we emotionally enjoy the movie is a big weight off my mind.
There’s all this sort of stuff that goes round making a Bond movie.
You know, we made a very successful movie last time and everyone’s going to be looking to this one to see what the outcome is. And that puts a lot of pressure on a director.
Q: What do you think of your co-star, Olga Kurylenko in action scenes?
A: Olga is doing fantastically well, I think. She’s realising she is in a Bond movie because we just started doing the boat stunts (laughs). It can be a sore experience, not to mention very heart-stopping at the best of times.
Q: What are your expectations on Quantum Of Solace?
A: It’s falling into place, it’s just, you know, a big piece of machinery to get going and . . . we’ve got to make this one better. We’ve got expectations against us now.
There’s a lot more work to do on this one or it seems that way or maybe I got selective memory about the last one because the last one seemed like a walk in the park compared to this one.
Obviously with this one, with a new director Marc in there, there is a different feeling on set, but I think everybody is very psyched about it and very excited about the prospect of creating something different.
Q: How do you think the audience will react to Quantum Of Solace?
A: I’m incredibly excited about what we’ve done. I look at the trailer which we’ve just finished. I think we’ve got something really special. - Stories courtesy of Columbia Pictures Malaysia
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