Being James Bond

Ah, it's one of the most prestigious roles in acting...

The movie world's most famous secret agent...

After months of speculation, the coveted job of being the next 007...

...finally been unmasked. And his name is Craig, Daniel Craig.

Craig, Daniel Craig.

Hundreds of actors were considered before he was chosen to play 007.

He beat off stiff competition from a host of stars,

including Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman and Colin Farrell.

The 37-year-old actor is the first blond Bond.

Blond Bond.

Are we ready for the first blond Bond?

He is extraordinarily different from what we've had before.

He's got a few more lines around the face.

He does look a little bit moodier,

and frankly, in the press conference, he wasn't really that forthcoming.

...the somewhat lackluster press conference.

Reporters were distinctly underwhelmed by 007's official unveiling today.

Knives out already for the new James Bond.

Fierce criticism.

"James Bland" is how the Mirror described...

He hasn't even started the role, has he?

But they're being a bit harsh in the papers.

So we'd quite like to have your texts and emails and phone calls on this as well.

The Mirror says this morning that the new Bond, Daniel Craig,

lacks the charm and the charisma needed by 007.

I must admit, he doesn't exactly look the part.

But he might grow into the job.

Good evening.

I always felt about Daniel,

'cause I had seen a lot of things, from Our Friends in the North,

and then, obviously, Enduring Love and The Mother,

and I always felt like whenever he was on the screen,

you couldn't watch anyone else.

You'd be interested in the scene stuff, but he just... he's lit from within.

I remember the thing that really set me, and I went, "It has to be him,"

was years before anything.

It was in Elizabeth, him walking down the corridor.

And it was just like,

that is the most charismatic person I have ever seen on the screen.

So it was clear that he's a movie star,

and a great actor to boot.

I think to put it in perspective,

at this time in Daniel's career, he wasn't thought of as a leading man.

It was not what people thought of.

They thought he was a great supporting actor.

And Barbara and I could see that he was actually a leading man.

I had a career.

I mean, as far as I was concerned, I had a really successful career,

more successful than I ever thought I would be as an actor.

But I didn't have a cool persona.

You know, Pierce had done Remington Steele. Um, Roger had done The Saint.

They'd done these parts where people would go, "Oh, that's James."

I mean, you know, I'd done weird arty movies.

You know, it was a harder sell.

And it was like, "I don't do many suave and sophisticated roles. I haven't done any."

And I didn't really want to do it

because I thought I wouldn't know what to do with it.

- Ready for rehearsal. Quiet. - Action.

Michael and I really wanted him. We only wanted him.

The only problem was that he didn't want to do it.

Small detail.

And you came into the office and I remember he walked in,

and I said to Michael afterwards, "He wants to do it."

It was the funniest thing. It was something about the way he had his-

He was wearing French cuffs and they weren't done up,

and I... just that thing, somehow,

I don't know why it was, I said, "He wants to do it."

Michael's going, "You think so?" I said "Yes, he does. He does."

And we were just determined to have him.

Action.

I'm the money.

Every penny of it.

The Treasury has agreed to stake you in the game.

"Vesper". I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.

It was like there wasn't anyone else.

That kept freaking the studio out 'cause we kept saying there is no one else.

We don't want anyone else. And they kept trying to get us to meet people.

I suppose all of these are a little like hurdles is what I was saying to myself.

"It's all right. What's gonna happen is,

I'm gonna get the script, I'm gonna read it,

I'm gonna go, 'No, thanks very much, it's really not...'"

'cause it's like... I mean, ultimately, that's all the actor can do really is,

be kind of, like, you know, you read the script and you go,

"I don't like the script. Sorry."

Little did I know.

- That happens every time. - Yeah, yeah.

But it was Casino Royale.

The story was solid, the script was really solid.

And it was just like, I didn't imagine the scope of it.

I didn't imagine, like, the crane sequence, or all of those sequences.

I had no idea about any of that. But I knew this story stuck together.

You know, it just... it flew.

I remember calling you to tell you you got the job.

Yeah.

I went, "Yes?" She just went, "Over to you, kiddo."

So I went and I just grabbed a bottle of vodka and some vermouth,

and bought a cocktail shaker, and went back to my apartment

and started mixing myself vodka martinis.

You know, that's not half bad.

That was the first bit of training.

That was my first bit of exercise.

I think I had a hangover for, like, three days.

And then, I sent Simon Waterston...

Yeah, he was my trainer, yeah.

And I literally met him with a rollie and a bacon sandwich.

That's his first memory of me.

I was literally smoking a cigarette and eating a bacon sandwich.

And I just said to him, I said, "I want to change." And he went, "Okay."

So we did, and then it was seven days a week from then on.

The way you went into physical training for it,

I've never seen any actor do anything like that, completely change your physique.

You said, "I have to look like I could do the role."

I mean, it's kind of amazing.

And he trained like an Olympic athlete. It was just fantastic.

Now, after months of speculation,

the new James Bond has finally been unmasked,

and his name is Craig, Daniel Craig.

Today, it was announced that Brit actor, Daniel Craig,

had beaten hundreds of competitors to grab the role.

But after four decades of tall, dark and handsome,

are we really ready for the first blond Bond?

They're saying they wanted him...

Well, you always get press on Bond. You get so much attention.

But the lead up was just absolutely a roller coaster.

You have to say, it does appear to be casting against type.

To put it kindly, he's a bit rough around the edges.

I remember when we did the announcement with you,

going down the Thames, and already it started,

because we had the Marines, and they said he had to wear a life jacket.

We said, "Okay, well, he has to." And then, you know, it started then.

"Oh, Bond, you know, wearing a life jacket, how ridiculous."

And then I was grumpy in the press conference.

No! You're never grumpy!

Like someone asked a question. I was like, "That's a stupid question."

The way I dealt with it, it was just to be kind of grisly.

- No, I will not go into it. - Yes?

Sorry.

But when the onslaught of press against him happened on Casino Royale, it was brutal.

I mean, it was way beyond any...

And it was because of what? You know, "Blond Bond?"

- Like, blond... - That was very hurtful.

You know, wasn't Roger Moore blond? I mean, it was so irrational.

They hadn't seen him in the role.

It's just... It was very, very distressing, when he was...

I remember we were in the Bahamas and he was on that crane sequence,

and he was killing himself on that crane sequence,

and we would all come back and then it'd be all over the news,

all over the Internet.

It's just so irresponsible that people were manufacturing this stuff based on what?

Based on a couple of teenagers

who had started an Internet thing called "Craig Not Bond."

But all these news agencies were treating it as if it was like real news.

You know, it's an opinion of a couple of kids

who hadn't seen a foot of film that the man had shot.

Someone said, "You might want to go online. There might be a bit of an issue."

I was, like, "What?"

I did. I went online and stayed up all night and read everything,

'cause that's what happens if you do that.

And it was tough. It was really, really tough.

It was hate-filled.

And I woke up the following morning, and I went, "Fuck it.

I know the film's gonna be good."

Action!

It was just horrible.

The whole crew, we were all just brimming with anger about it,

and trying to act very casual around him.

But we were angry for him 'cause it was so unfair.

Everybody else was in a state about it.

Everybody else who was in this was going, "God. Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

It must be awful," and like that.

I was like, "It's fine. It's all good. Come on, let's crack on with it."

'Cause I knew we were doing something really special.

It's a tribute to Daniel that he could look past it, but a lot of people can't.

And people who work on the film, it affects the morale.

Also, I remember going back to the horrendous time in the Bahamas.

We were besieged with paparazzi.

I mean, one guy was like... buried himself in the sand,

sort of the night before we were gonna be on the beach.

I mean, it was insane. It was like, you know, crazy.

And I remember Daniel coming out of the water

and the whole crew going, "Oh, my God."

And that was probably the only time when a pap shot...

Because it was a pap shot that broke...

But then, of course, changed the whole idea of,

you know, Daniel and what his Bond was gonna be like.

Suddenly everybody went, "Oh, my God! This is the guy? The blond guy?"

"Who cares?"

Look at those tits!

The whole thing changed.

And then it was a whole different thing,

and he was suddenly the coolest guy on Earth.

It was exciting. You've redeemed this moment.

Bloody hell!

These two gave me a voice.

I mean, I asked for it.

I spoke to both of you. I remember having this conversation.

I said, "If you're going to make me do this..."

I didn't say that.

I think you did.

But it was being allowed to discuss it.