Although he will forever be known as one of the best James Bond actors ever, Daniel Craig is also, on some level, the grumpy Bond. Across five films, Daniel Craig’s 007 was brooding, angry, full of revenge, and in over half of his adventures, on the verge of quitting his job altogether. This volatile state of affairs was reflected in the real-world, too. Several of the Bond films were difficult for Craig to make, including Quantum of Solace (2008), in which an incomplete script led to some on-the-fly changes, and Spectre (2015), in which Craig had a broken leg for a portion of filming.
All of these ups and downs means that Craig’s outward exasperation with being constantly asked about James Bond is understandable. He doesn’t want to only be known for this role, even though, for many people, of various generations, he will be.
However, interestingly, Craig's sometimes irascible attitude toward James Bond hides his true affection. Buried in an interview with The Times (UK), and recently reported by Express, Craig frequently says “I don’t care,” when asked about the next James Bond actor, because he's disguising the fact that he does care.
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“But of course I care…I keep saying I don’t, because people ask me all the time and I’m an ornery, grumpy old man,” Craig explained. “So I say I don’t give a s--t. But I care about it deeply — deeply. I care what the franchise does, because I love Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [G Wilson, the Bond producers]. But it’s not my decision or problem. I wish them luck.”
So, even though Daniel Craig pretends to be a hardcore, cold-as-ice dude about the future of Bond, he isn’t actually that cruel deep down. Like the rest of us, Craig is a softy about Bond, and like us, can’t wait for who plays the dashing secret agent next.
