Daniel Craig, known for his iconic portrayal of James Bond, recently opened up about his reservations regarding the role during an interview with The New Yorker. The actor expressed his concerns about the “construct of masculinity” associated with the character, stating that he initially had doubts about embracing the globe-trotting, debonair ladies’ man persona.
The 007 actor told the outlet “one of my biggest reservations about playing [Bond] would be the construct of masculinity. It was often very laughable, but you can’t mock it and expect it to work. You have to buy into it.”
Craig will soon be seen in the upcoming LGBTQ-themed film “Queer,” where he plays an openly homosexual man. This marks the second time the actor has taken on such a role following his departure from the Bond franchise, with his first being the Knives Out sequel. The actor clarified that his decision to star in “Queer” was not a response to his nearly 20-year tenure as James Bond, but rather a personal growth opportunity.
“I mean, the vulnerability of human beings is always interesting to me,” Craig said. “We’re all vulnerable. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter how tough you are, everybody’s vulnerable. But it’s how boys are brought up, how men are expected to behave.”
He added, “Listen, [Bond] is nearly 20 years of my life. When I took it on, I was one person. I’m now a completely different person. I’m not doing this movie in response to that. I’m not that small. But I couldn’t have done this movie when I was doing Bond. It would’ve felt kind of, ‘Why? What are you trying to prove?'”
During a press conference earlier this year, Craig discussed the challenges of filming intimate scenes for “Queer.” “There’s nothing intimate about filming a sex scene on a movie set,” he said. “There’s a room full of people watching you. We just wanted to make it as touching and as real and as natural as we possibly could.”
As Craig continues to explore new roles and push the boundaries of his acting career, his candid comments provide insight into the challenges faced by actors in the entertainment industry who struggle with navigating an industry that doesn’t know adhere to the normal ideals of masculinity and femininity, and it shows. There are likely zero James Bond aficionados planning to see Craig’s new film, and that should be perfectly acceptable, but probably makes those fans “heretical” in Tinsel Town.
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