Daniel Craig played James Bond for 15 years between 2006’s ‘Casino Royale’ and 2021’s ‘No Time To Die.’ His portrayal redefined the franchise, earning critical and financial success especially with 2012’s ‘Skyfall,’ but the actor recently shared a desire to separate himself from the character.
Craig talked about a policy he followed against fan requests for autographs as 007 in a new chat with The New Yorker, saying, “People say, ‘Can you put 007?’ I would say, no… I won’t do it. Yeah. If someone comes up to me and says, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ I’m so happy because it’s better than fucking this [extends arm to mime taking a selfie.] But they used to say, ‘Can you put 007?’ Nah. People get very upset.”
“Oh, [it’s happened] many, many times,” he continued. “I think I’ve done it twice, and there were mitigating circumstances. But I can’t tell you why. My instinct would just kick in and be, like, no. I mean, I suppose it’s the thing that defines me. I’m not going to deny it. It’s been a seminal part of my life, but internally it doesn’t define me. And so, therefore, connecting it to my name? Someone else will do it one day—wheel of life. It won’t mean sh*t.”
The James Bond role passed through many actors since Sean Connery debuted in 1962’s ‘Dr. No,’ with George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan taking it on before Craig.
EON Productions is now searching for a new face to play the British agent in the upcoming 26th Bond movie. While the studio is taking its time with the project and keeping any details under wraps, rumors about the next 007 are going wild among fans.
Craig, on the other hand, pays no mind to the franchise’s future. When asked about his thoughts on his successor during a chat with Variety, the actor simply noted, “I don’t care.”
Among the rumored names for the next James Bond are fan-favorite Aaron Taylor-Johnson, along with Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Michael Fassbender.
