The Golden Key:  Daniel Craig looks Ahead

Current 007 star Daniel Craig, in publicity tied to the DVD release of his World War Two movie ‘Defiance’, has offered some intriguing thoughts on the evolution of his career , including his tenure as James Bond. In an interview for the British newspaper ‘The Independent’, when tackled about the quandary of possibly being pigeon-holed as Bond after two successful 007 adventures, Craig denied this was shaping his movie career. The Chester-born star claimed that he is no career strategist, with clear plans: “I’m not looking for stuff that’s the antithesis of a Bond movie just because I think that’s what I should do”. He also pointed out that if he went through life trying to “construct” his career, “it would lose all the inspiration”.

Reflecting on the new opportunities created by Bond, Daniel said: “I do get more offers. Or at least I get to see more scripts. But they’re just as crap as they were before. There are only so many good scripts out there, genuinely”. He added: “You get a better look in, but there’s still the work to do”. He said he wished there was a “golden key” to some cupboard with 10 good scripts in it.

Craig is very much looking forward to re-uniting with ‘Defiance’ co-star Jamie Bell, however, on the next big Steven Spielberg project, ‘The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn’, the first of a planned trilogy. Craig will star as Tintin’s villainous adversary ‘Red Rackham’, an evil pirate. When the ‘Independent’ asked Craig about Bond, he would not be drawn on how many 007 films he is prepared to make, but commented: “If people still want to see these movies I’ll keep doing them for as long as it takes, or until my knees go, whichever happens quicker!”.

Craig, however, can sometimes be more detailed in interviews with local newspapers, especially ones with links to the area where he has family connections. In an interview with the ‘Shropshire Star’, for example, given late last year, Craig revealed that he is committed to two further Bond films. He also said: “I am enjoying playing him. There is the potential to do anything in the next Bond movie. We can introduce Moneypenny and Q back into the roles. I just think we have got to offer them to the best actors we can find and ask them to do the best job”.

Craig also reflected: “It is hard to believe that there is a generation of people who don’t know Bond movies. They have never seen them, they don’t watch them, they don’t watch them the way I’ve watched them growing up. Just saying the lines and introducing the characters and expecting them to understand who they are I think is the wrong thing to do. We have to re-introduce them and earn the right to have them. That is the way forward as far as I am concerned”.

‘Defiance’ is available on DVD in the
UK on 18th May.