What I've learnt: Daniel Craig

[Blowfeld]

Marianne Gray | 21 August, 2011 00:51
The actor on the South African accent, being a snob and having his picture taken in the loo
Daniel Craig, 43, made his stage debut aged six in Oliver! Academically poor, he left school at 16 and joined the National Youth Theatre in London and went on from there. He waited tables for a while as a struggling actor and became one of the rootless types he is so good at playing. Now famous for playing James Bond, he will pick up his Walther PPK for his third Bond film. But first there is the sci-fi/Western hybrid Cowboys & Aliens, co-starring Harrison Ford. He is married to Rachel Weisz, his second wife, and has a daughter, Ella, 18, by his first marriage to actress Fiona Loudon.

In this business, I go to new places I've never been and I've had some of the best experiences, especially with the Bond films. I got to South Africa, which I love, for Flashbacks of a Fool shot in Cape Town and played a South African in the Spielberg film Munich. It's a bloody difficult accent to master and I don't think I did in Munich or in The Power of One, in which I played Sergeant Botha. I've been to South Africa several times and I miss it when I leave.

I have an aversion to Shakespeare and costume dramas. I don't want to be dressing up and pansying around. I love being twisted and challenged. I love the obsessiveness in movies. I've tried to be as picky as I possibly could, because I am a snob, and I don't like doing sh*t. I'd rather go hungry than play a rubbish role.

I've always got immense satisfaction out of working in ensemble pieces.

One can always change the way one looks. You can beef up. But I can't change the way that I am.

I always wanted to be an actor. I had the arrogance to believe I couldn't be anything else. And I wanted to be a cinema actor. Especially a cowboy, as I am in Cowboys & Aliens, which is hugely significant.

Even though I hate guns and am a pacifist, they have proved much of my success. One must never say no to anything.

I've discovered that one can't straddle and be taken seriously. I am very political but I am an actor, not a politician, so I must shut up about politics and concentrate on acting.

Never be negative. I was sitting in a hotel room in Switzerland worrying about the first Bond film when the producer, Barbara Broccoli, rang with the news that the box office for Casino Royale was looking very good. The numbers kept going up and it became the most profitable Bond film to date (then).

You have to smile about certain things, like someone trying to take pictures of me when I'm having a piss. That has happened. It is not welcome and never will be, but if you don't smile you end up smashing somebody up. Once when we were filming we discovered two guys buried up to their necks in sand with cameras. They had been there all night.

I mustn't get complacent because if I start relaxing about all of this, then I'm going to turn into a dick.

When you start out, you need to stick with it and make something happen. That would be my advice to all students.

Acting is a great way to get rid of your insecurities. Dressing up and showing off ... But you find plenty of new insecurities, unfortunately!

[Blowfeld]

I don't like doing sh*t. I'd rather go hungry than play a rubbish role.

And yet...........

[shaken not stirred]

God he comes across as a real snob, one must learn how to tie their own shoelaces, what what, pip pip and all that (yeah well one must also learn how to put a sentance together without swearing especially since you're meant to be an actor and also portraying bond not a yobbo) and regarding not eating if he played a crap role shouldn't he have starved a lot by now then .

Sorry to any craig fans here if I offended with that post, I used to tolerate craig and liked some of his roles but his smugness is now reaching bono lvls, you're meant to be portraying bond here show some class and wit like all the others did (despite what Connery did behind the scenes to women and I don't tolerate that he still kept inline in interviews).

[Mazer Rackham]

About the time of Golden Compass he was a right shite in nearly all the interviews.

[bjmdds]

Once a loser, always a loser.

[Mazer Rackham]

"most profitable Bond film to date"
Except it wasn't.
The real expectations were for a drop from DAD.

[katied]

The Golden Compass wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, either. Daniel Craig wasn't really right for Asriel.



Blofeld's right.. He doesn't like doing sh!t films and he does stuff like CVA,Dream House and the Tin Tin movie.? WTF.

[James]

He is very picky with his roles. Quantum of Solace, Flashbacks of a Fool, Cowboys and Aliens. All amazing films.

[bjmdds]

A BOURNE loser!

[katied]

He is very picky with his roles. Quantum of Solace, Flashbacks of a Fool, Cowboys and Aliens. All amazing films.

Indeed. I watched part of Flashbacks of a Fool...

[James]

Invasion. Now that was a great film. He's made some absolute classics in this very picky career.

[bjmdds]

Wait until you see next month's 'Dread' House with DC! $55 million to produce, add on $45 million to promote/advertise, and it needs $200 million to break even. Good luck to that.

[katied]

Invasion. Now that was a great film. He's made some absolute classics in this very picky career.

I saw Invasion for free when I was on a cruise in 2008. I seriously would NOT have paid the money to see it.Or rent it.