Daniel Craig: Reluctant and sad, but I need to look forward

"007: No Time to Die" is released this Friday Daniel Craig, the sixth Bond completes the curtain call: reluctant and sad, but I need to look forward

"007: No Time to Die", which will be released this Friday (October 29), is the 25th 007 series of films and the end of the Daniel Craig version of the 007 era, Daniel Craig said: "When I stop and think about my performances in the past five films, I can't help but burst into tears. It's been throughout my life for 15 years. ”

At the time of the film's release, Daniel Craig gave an interview to Transoceanic, saying that he was very proud to look back on the five 007 films he had worked on, grateful for the opportunity to participate in it, "I feel like I've done my best to play this role." Of course there will be reluctance to say goodbye to 007 because it is an important role in my life, a character that I have given a lot of time to think about, but I am also happy to look forward, and I feel that it is time to say goodbye. ”

I'm used to succeeding in the face of people's skepticism

From 007: Casino Royale in 2006, when he succeeded Pierce Brosnan as the sixth Agent 007 in 007: Casino Royale, 007: Quantum of Solace, 007: Quantum of Solitaire, 007: Ghost Party, today's 007: No Time to Die, Daniel Craig has brought a new modern version of Bond to the world, a version of Bond that, despite his ability, is by no means perfect. He is not a hero of myths and legends, and he still has much to learn. Bond is a very three-dimensional hero, and his success must be accompanied by occasional failures. Light and shadow intersected him.

The audience witnessed Bond's growth along the way. They witnessed Bond learning how to become an agent and saw the cost behind it all. Bond is a lone wolf, but he has also learned to let others into his heart. He had loved and lost, and everyone could see through his scars at a glance.

Five 007 films, fifteen years, have transformed Daniel Craig from "the least fit to play Bond" to "can't find anyone better suited to play Bond."

Born in 1968 in Chase, Cheshire, England, England, Daniel Craig watched Roger Moore's 007 film "The Moment of Life and Death" in a movie theater with his father at the age of 5; began to appear in school dramas at the age of 6; and at the age of 16, he entered london's National Youth Theatre for training. In 1991, after graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Daniel entered the film and television industry.

Daniel's film credits include "Dangerous Love", "Infatuation", "Kid Must Be Self-Reliant", "Road to Destruction", "Sandwich Cake", "Notorious", Spielberg's "Munich Massacre", David Finch's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", etc.

Daniel was in a supermarket when he learned that he had been chosen as the sixth Bond, and after putting down the phone, his whole body trembled with excitement, "and he threw away the food in his hand, bought a bottle of vodka, and went home to make himself a vodka martini." I had no idea I would play Bond. When I was a kid watching movies, I fantasized about being 007, but as an actor, I never thought I could play 007. Even when I was making 007: No Time to Die, I walked on set and pinched myself to make sure it wasn't a dream, because it was incredible. ”

Although he is a very good actor, when starring in "007: Casino Royale", Daniel Craig's popularity is not as good as Bond, and because of his lack of handsome appearance, Daniel Craig has been caught in the eyes of outside doubts, and even his blond hair has been used as a "breakthrough" for speech catharsis, and he has been ridiculed as "Mr. Potatohead".

The general questioning of the blonde Bond made Daniel sleepless all night, but Daniel finally relied on his inner strength and quickly came out of the haze, and in 2007, when he came to Beijing to attend the premiere of "007: The Casino Royale", he appeared in front of reporters, his smile was full of meaning, his blue eyes were shining, and his confident momentum overwhelmed everyone: "People question me because they don't understand me, I am used to succeeding in people's doubts, and I will use performance to eliminate doubts." To a reporter's question about whether he felt he wasn't handsome enough, Daniel Craig replied: "I was born like this, and I will still be this face after death." ”

After the release of 007: Casino Royale, all the doubts were "punched in the face", and the film was considered a classic subversion that revived the 007 series and supported Daniel Craig, the new Bond, with enough strength.

Integrate as much of myself into Bond as possible and let him grow with me

Since 007: Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's "combative" Bond has ushered in a new style of the Agent genre. Under Daniel's excellent interpretation, everything about 007 has been rediscovered and explored, becoming a classic in the hearts of movie fans. For more than a decade, Bond has come back to life in casino royals, saved the world from Quantum of Solace, fought in the fire of Tianmu Manor, stood out from the ghost party conspiracy, and a series of thrilling spy battles made the audience addicted. The four 007 films starring Daniel also grossed nearly $3.2 billion worldwide.

The early 007 series of films consisted of one independent adventure after another, with the protagonists of both good and evil taking turns, starting with Daniel Craig and maintaining a unified overall style from the 007 series. 007: Casino Royale tells the story of how Bond became an Agent 00, followed by 007: Quantum of Solace. "007: The Great Breaking of the Sky" shows the important experience of Bond's early life through the form of an interlude. 007: No Time to Die is set against the backdrop of the ending of 007: Ghost Party.

Directed by Kerry Fowon and starring Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, Leia Saidu, Ben Weshaw, etc., 007: No Time to Die, tells the story of a retired Bond living a mundane life in Jamaica until his CIA late Felix Wright comes to his aid and tries to rescue a kidnapped biologist.

For Daniel Craig, he already has a "flesh-and-blood connection" with Bond, and these ten years have been precious time for the two to grow together.

Although Bond is an agent, in Daniel's view, he is first and foremost a person, which means that Bond will have feelings like most people, will be affected by love and family, "although family is not a feeling, it is one of the things that affect us the most." 」 I think James Bond can defeat evil villains, but also be touched by love, just like we ordinary people. ”

Looking back on 007: Casino Royale today, Daniel says he was very young and ignorant, just following the pace of the production team. "I feel that from my personal point of view and as an actor, the 007 films I have starred in have improved me."

Even, Daniel is trying to change the role of Bond, "As I change in my life, I try to change the role of Bond at the same time, so that he can be as close as possible to me." 」 I want to see him visibly old, I want to see him maybe wiser, maybe less hot-headed, maybe think twice... I wanted to fit myself into the role as much as I could and let him grow with me. It doesn't mean he's not doing a great job, he's still a super agent, but I've always tried to make him a real person, a person who will be affected by the world, so that he can also be a down-to-earth character. ”

Daniel laughs and says that he wanted Bond to be as close to him as possible, perhaps out of his own "selfishness", "I am not suitable to talk about those performance methods, my performance has some selfishness." 」 I love big-budget movies, whether it's big epic movies or modern Marvel superhero movies and so on, and even though these blockbusters are all big, I always want to be touched by these movies, I want to be moved, I want to be brought in, I want to have a moment to believe that what I'm watching is real. It doesn't have to be a moment like this, but if there is, then I'll believe it. That's how I feel about 007 movies, and I hope that audiences can say at some point that they believe in the stories they see on the silver screen and can put aside their doubts. If the audience can relate to the film, and there is a moment when your character can touch the audience, then you have succeeded. ”

Gratitude can be deeply involved in the production of the film "without covering the mouth"

To Daniel Craig's gratitude, he was given a lot of power when he played Bond. "A long time ago, I was working with producers Barbara Brockley and Michael Scott. G. Wilson talked about them being the 'guardians' of 007 films, and I said to them, 'If you allow me to speak and give my opinions in the making process of the film, then I can try to convince myself that I am James Bond, because I want to be involved in all aspects of the filmmaking, and I need that sense of participation.' Luckily, they agreed. They said to me, 'We want to hear from you.' For me, that means I can come up with my own ideas. I can suggest scripts, casting suggestions, and I can also recommend directors I want to work with. ”

Anna de Armas played the "Bond Girl" in the Cuban role in 007: No Time to Die, and she worked with Daniel in Blade Out of the Sheath, this time when Daniel recommended Anna to the producers, and he also recommended Phoebe Waller-Bridge to join the script. Speaking about this, Daniel said that he has always wanted to dig deep into the female characters in the 007 series of movies, "I always think that if a character is not interesting enough, then it should not appear in the film, that role is meaningless. We can't force some cock-eye or toothless characters. As far as the female characters in the 007 series of movies are concerned, I feel the need to increase their depth. The more interesting the characters, the more attractive the movies are, so I want to try to get the best actors to play, but if you can't give good actresses a good role, it doesn't make sense to let them play in your movie, so you have to improve the level of the movie. ”

Daniel says he was lucky enough to be deeply involved in the production of the film from the beginning, with Barbara Brockley and Michael Scott. G. Wilson and the two producers could accept his "mouth unguarded".

Once the production of the 007 movie began, it was unstoppable

During the filming of the action scenes of "007: No Time to Die", Daniel always tried to be as hands-on as possible, and even deeply involved in the design of stunt action. Action design Brockori said: "He wanted to be able to design the action himself so that he could make sure to shoot the scene himself as much as possible. Unfortunately, during a previous filming in Jamaica, he injured his ankle. Therefore, we had to postpone many action scenes to the final shooting, and in order to be able to complete the shooting smoothly, he underwent high-intensity rehabilitation training. The hardships he put into making the film a success were awe-inspiring. ”

Daniel said that making a 007 movie will always face many challenges, like a huge wheel that starts to turn, and once it starts to turn, it is unstoppable. So, you have to keep up with the rhythm. "In the early days of 007: No Time to Die, I had a broken ankle and I thought it would be a disaster. But thankfully, I had a wonderful surgeon who helped me pick up my bones, nailed my ankles, and stitched them up. I just missed 10 to 2 weeks of shooting and went back to work in my boots. After 10 weeks, I was able to run normally again and our shooting was on track again. So, there are always accidents, but the challenges at work are sometimes the most exciting part. ”

Daniel Craig is arguably the most desperate 007, he asked to be on the scene no matter how dangerous the action, in "Casino Royale", he was knocked out two front teeth; in "Quantum of Solace", his shoulder muscles were torn and his ring finger was cut off. In "Ghost Party", he broke his leg and seriously injured his knee, and the film opens with a scene of Bond walking on the roof, which is filmed by dragging a broken leg and enduring severe pain.

Daniel says that shooting action shots can sometimes be very dull because the battle lines can be stretched long, and you have to wait and wait a long time to shoot very small shots. "But I love the pat scenes and I get a lot of fun out of them. I'm very excited when I shoot big scenes, because these scenes are always very interesting, and we try to make them as realistic as possible, and I personally play as much as possible. And when I can't do it myself, there will be a group of excellent stuntmen to help me show my cool and heroic posture. ”

Left a watch as a souvenir of the shooting of 007

Daniel Craig ushered in his most tear-jerking moment in the final scene of 007: No Time to Die, which was filmed at Pinewood Studios and could not have been more appropriate as the filming location for the final chapter, as it has always been home to the 007 series of films. Producer Michael M. G. Wilson recalls: "It was late at night and people would usually go straight home after filming, but everyone came to the set that night. There was no celebratory atmosphere, everyone just wanted to experience this special moment together. They shouted 'Kill Qing', and then Daniel said something moving, and everyone had tears in their eyes and hugged each other. We are saddened by the end of this era and all the staff were very moved. Daniel brought Bond to life, cast a real character, and created a one-of-a-kind James Bond. ”

Now that he has bid farewell to 007, Daniel has mixed feelings in his heart. "I'm happy and proud of the effort I've put in, and I'm happy with all the 007 films I've starred in, especially this one. For me, the role of 007 has benefited me a lot, and my personal life has changed dramatically as a result. It was an incredible experience. Those unforgettable moments that I will never forget in my life. Casino Royale had many memorable experiences because it was the first 007 movie I starred in, so when I look back on that film, I can remember almost all the shooting details at that time. ”

Daniel said it was his privilege to be part of such a long-running film series, "Playing Bond, I thought it through, not hastily played the role. And when I said goodbye to it, I had to think about it a lot. I'm a little sad at this point, but it's time to say goodbye to him, and I hope that after my farewell, the 007 series can continue to go further. In the process of working with excellent colleagues, I have learned a lot, which has left an indelible mark on me. I miss this time a lot, especially the crew members who have worked with me over the years and have become close friends. ”

After saying goodbye to Bond, what souvenir gifts were left behind? Daniel laughed and said that everyone must have thought that he would take the props on the set home every time. "In fact, before we leave the set, we have to undergo a body search."

Daniel says he likes to keep the suits he wears after making the film. "The thing is, I was skinny during the filming and after a year the clothes didn't quite fit, but they were still very delicate. I donated all these suits to charity. There are also shoes, which I also donate to charities and auctions. I kept a watch myself, which I had worn when I was shooting Casino Royale, a very beautiful Omega rubber strap watch, which I had worn in the rocker shot, and it was also glued with the red clay left in the rocker shot. I will treasure it forever. ”

Talking about his work plan, Daniel Craig said that the arrangement was very tense: "I just finished shooting Blade Out of the Sheath 2, the film has just been completed, it is currently being edited, and it will be released next year. I'm going to Go to Broadway next year to do Macbeth, so I'm still busy. ”

As for the future 007 series, Daniel said: "I believe anyone can play 007, but I insist that a better script should be written for non-Caucasians and better characters should be created for them." If you can use this starting point to let people of color and women get better roles, it is a good thing. But I think we need to have good scripts. It's not just a kind of character inheritance. We need to write classic stories that will stand the test of time. So, I'm looking forward to seeing that movie. ”

Text/Photo courtesy of Zhang Jia, reporter of this newspaper/Universal

【Editor: Chen Haifeng】

Source: China News Network

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