Text/Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Wang Li
Yesterday, the 25th film in the 007 series, "007: No Time to Die", held its premiere at Universal Beijing Resort. This is Daniel Craig's fifth time playing James Bond and his last on Mission 007. Before the premiere, Craig was interviewed by a round table of media reporters such as Yangcheng Evening News through video link. He admits that although he is reluctant to say goodbye to the 007 series, he is very satisfied with the effect presented in "007: No Time to Die": "We hope to end the story through "007: No Time to Die" and connect all the dark lines. I feel like we've succeeded, and I'm incredibly proud of that. ”
It is reported that "007: No Time to Die" will be officially released on October 29 in Chinese mainland. In the film, Q, M, Madeleine and other familiar characters returned, and the new female characters such as Agent 00 and The Mysterious Female Agent of Cuba shined. Craig, who played Bond for the last time, also did his best to fight the fiercest villain in the series, Safin, and save the world from the conspiracy and espionage that runs through the film.
【Talking about the plot】
The story continues from the previous game, and the ending is thrilling
The early 007 series consisted of one independent adventure after another, but after Craig starred in Bond, the 007 series became more uniform.
In 2006, Rickreg made his first role as Bond in 007: Casino Royale, telling the story of how Bond became an Agent 00; in 2008, 007: Quantum of Solace narrated the subsequent story development; in 2012, 007: Breaking the Sky, the Great Curtain Kill showed Bond's important early experiences in the form of interludes. Today, 007: No Time to Die follows the ending of 2015's 007: Ghost Party, telling the story of Bond and Madeleine (Leia Saidu) after they flew away in a luxury car.
The film begins with Bond and Madeleine's honeymoon journey, but an accident breaks everything. The story then follows five years after Bond is alone in Jamaica living a quiet retirement life, until his old CIA friend Felix arrives for help in rescuing a kidnapped scientist, a mission that takes Bond on a dangerous journey to track down a mysterious villain, and the relationship between him and Madeleine will come to an end.
"007: No Time to Die" is interlocked with the four previous works led by Craig, and the themes of secrets, betrayal and trust drive the plot forward. "'007: No Time to Die' needs to bring this wonderful story to a perfect end, and it needs to connect the dark lines buried in the previous work." Craig said, "I think we managed to achieve those goals and built a happy ending for the whole story." ”
【Talk about the role】
Familiar faces return and female characters shine
With Bond's reappearance, the audience will see many familiar faces: lover Madeleine, good partner Q, cold noodle boss M, good brother Felix, old enemy Bluffeld... A number of classic characters who are inextricably linked to Bond have all returned, evoking the audience's memories.
At the same time, Bond will also usher in new partners and new enemies: during bond's five years of retirement, the new Agent 00, Nomi, has come into being, she is sharp and sharp, and she confronts Bond at the first meeting; Cuban agent Paloma is outstanding, energetic, and well-trained, wearing a long skirt and high heels but still extraordinary; the brutal new villain Safin, Bond's enemies in recent years are inextricably linked to him, made by Madeleine's past is inseparable from him...
The female characters in 007: No Time to Die are particularly impressive. "I've always wanted to dig deeper into female characters, although I don't know if we've been successful every time." From Craig's point of view, the portrayal of the partner is important to the whole film, "I always think that if a character is not interesting enough, it should not appear in the film. If you can't give a good actress a good role, there's no point in letting her play in the movie. Hopefully, we'll succeed in elevating the depth of these characters this time, because the more brilliant the female characters are, the more exciting the movie will be. ”
【Talking about shooting】
The action is thrilling and the shooting process is very stuffy
Jumping off takahashi in desperate pursuit, parachuting vertically outside skyscrapers, racing at great speed in the rain of bullets, spinning new fighters into the air, smooth fighting hardcore hand-to-hand combat... "Throwing Bond into an impossible dilemma" is the original intention of the film director Fukunaga, and the action scene of "007: No Time to Die" has also been elevated to a new height.
The Classic Sports Car Aston Martin DB5, which carried Bond and Madeleine away at the end of "007: Ghost Party", roared all the way to "007: No Time to Die", kicking off Bond's return. The two films are seamlessly connected by this meaningful sports car. "The movie started with a car chase scene, and driving the DB5 again, it felt great." Craig lamented, "In the story, it underwent an overhaul after 007: Skyfall, then played a big role in 007: Ghost Party, and now it is even more debugged to the best condition, and even installed a wave of new configurations to meet all bond requirements and operations." ”
The production team spent a total of 9 cars to complete the filming of the opening car scene. Close-up footage such as getting on and off the bus uses the original DB5 car owned by the production company, and it has also appeared in "007's GoldenEye", "007's Empire of Tomorrow", "007: Skyfall" and "007: Ghost Party". All of the stunt shots were made up of eight specially customized DB5 replicas, two of which were loaded with mine throwers and machine guns, and two of which were equipped with control panels so that the VFX driver could sit on the roof and maneuver the car.
Watching action scenes is adrenaline rushing, how does it feel to shoot action scenes? "Sometimes it's very dull." Craig's answer came as a bit of a surprise. He explained that because the time may be stretched for a long time, such as just after shooting an explosion scene or a gun battle scene, it takes an hour to re-set, the actors have to sit next to the scene and wait, shoot a chaotic scene for 30 seconds and then continue to wait: "We will shoot as realistic as possible, as much as possible by myself, when I can't do it myself, there will be a group of excellent stuntmen to help me show a cool and heroic posture." 」 ”
【Talking about Bond】
Show the emotional side and grow with the character
Bond is undoubtedly extremely capable as a secret agent, always able to skillfully defuse various dangers. But in Craig's view, Bond is not perfect, and his success is always accompanied by the shadow of failure. "Bond is a very three-dimensional hero, and the audience has witnessed his growth along the way and seen the cost behind all this. He has loved and lost. He lost his former lover Vespa, lost his former boss M, and everyone can see through his scars at a glance. ”
"He's a lone wolf, but he's slowly learned to let others into his heart." Craig said, "He had regarded Wespa as the love of his life, but the tragic end of the two made him unwilling to trust anyone anymore, and he was tired of everyone around him eventually dying because of him." So, he chose to go it alone. But looking back at Ian Fleming's original book, I feel that Bond has always had a flesh-and-blood person in mind, and I have the opportunity to show his inner feelings as that person. I don't think that changes James Bond's persona, all I've done is slowly bring out his emotional, loving aspects. ”
For this more emotional Bond, Craig is pleased: "Since 007: Casino Royale, I have interpreted this character in this way, which is also the entry point when we shoot. Like most people, Bond is affected by emotions. James Bond can defeat evil, strong villains, but he can also be touched by love. And in 007: No Time to Die, he will have the opportunity to really gain something. I'm glad we chose this creative direction. ”
It's been 15 years since Craig first played Bond, and he can't help but sigh: "I didn't know anything when I made 007: Casino Royale, I just followed the pace of the production team. From my personal point of view and as an actor, I have improved with every 007 film. I try to change this role in sync with the changes in my life. I hope to see him aging, he may become wiser, maybe less hot-headed, maybe think twice... Although he still cuts first and plays later, I want to integrate myself into this role as much as possible, trying to make him a real person and let him grow up with me. ”
If you have the opportunity to talk to Bond, what would you like to say to him? Craig smiled and said, "I guess I'll try my best to avoid him." I don't think he's going to be the guy I want to make friends with because he's going to get in trouble as soon as he shows up. I don't know what I want to say to him, I'm curious what he wants to say to me, but I don't know what it will be. ”
【Talk about 007 Series】
Say goodbye and leave your watch as a souvenir
"When I stop and think back to how we've been in the last five films, I can't help but burst into tears. It's been throughout my life for 15 years. Craig summed up the feeling of starring in the 007 series.
"I think it's time to say goodbye." Craig said, "Of course there will be reluctance to say goodbye to Bond, because he is an important role in my life, I am well thought out, not hastily played this role, and I have given a lot of time to think about how to play him." And when I said goodbye to him, I had to think more, discuss with people, try to feel him. But I'm happy to look ahead and I feel like I've done my best to play the role. ”
Craig admits that 007: No Time to Die meets his expectations, "it focuses on Bond's relationships with others and how those relationships affected him, changing and guiding his life's journey." The work confronts his tumultuous relationships with villains and the people he works with, and the most important theme is love and trust, and you won't find anything more important than them."
Interestingly, Craig is often asked the question: Are there props for the set as souvenirs? He laughed and said, "I think everyone must have thought that I had all the props on the set and went home, and before I left the set, I had to undergo a body search, haha!" I did keep one thing as a souvenir, the watch I wore when I made 007: Casino Royale, it was very beautiful, it appeared in the camera, and the watch was stained with red mud from the shooting, and I will always cherish it. ”
Although the viewing habits and tastes of young people have changed a lot, Craig is still full of confidence in "007: No Time to Die": "It has strong emotions that run through the story line, and I think young people can understand and appreciate it." It's also a movie that should be seen in a movie theater together, and I don't think movies are suitable for viewing on mobile phones, tablets, and the experience in the cinema is incomparable. ”
EDIT: Kelp