As Daniel Craig prepares to reprise his role as 007, Susan Griffin finds out why the secret agent is working harder than ever
Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig arriving for the world premiere of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, at Odeon, Leicester Square, London
Where interviews are concerned, Daniel Craig has a reputation for being rather serious, a little sullen even, but not today.
Instead, the craggily handsome actor who brought new life to the James Bond franchise in 2006’s Casino Royale, is happily throwing his head back and laughing.
But then it’s been a good year for the 43 year old.
This summer he married the actress Rachel Weisz, and lived out a childhood dream of donning a Stetson and spurs for the sci-fi western Cowboys And Aliens alongside Harrison Ford. And he’s now finally able to confirm the news that millions were waiting to hear – that he’s set to reprise the role of 007 for a third time in the 23rd Bond movie Skyfall.
“It’s my intention to make the best Bond movie – Bond with a capital B,” says Craig, who’s wearing jeans and a tight black T-shirt that shows off the honed physique he’s famed for.
The script is shrouded in secrecy but we do know that filming is due to happen in London’s Whitehall, China, Turkey and Scotland, as well as at Pinewood Studios.
Although it has no link to the Ian Fleming stories, the director Sam Mendes has reassured fans that the script has “all the elements of a classic Bond movie - including a lot of action”.
“I’m just incredibly proud to be part of this gang of people who have agreed to come and do it,” says Craig, referring to Dame Judi Dench, who returns as M, Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes.
For a while it was looking unlikely Craig would get the chance to play Bond again following 2008’s Quantum Of Solace. The franchise had been put on hold amid financial troubles, with the film company MGM filing for bankruptcy protection last November. But a rescue deal and restructuring plan has meant Bond survives another day.
“Strangely it wasn’t frustrating because there was nothing I could do about it,” Craig explains.
“I was just fortunate enough to be able to go off and do some other projects, so I kept myself busy.”
Now Skyfall has been given the go-ahead, he’s itching to get started.
“I’ve just wanted to get going,” he smiles, before hinting that audiences will be treated to more gratuitous torso shots of Bond.
“It’s the gig. We should be talking about when I keep the shirt on, really,” he laughs and recalls Dame Judi proffering two pints of Guinness and a pork pie after filming on Casino Royale had wrapped and he could afford to relax his workouts a little.
But Craig’s not inclined to let the waistband expand.
“I’m obsessive about getting fit, it’s ridiculous. I’m over 40 now, and I’ve got to stop doing it soon. I have to start getting fat and old! Truly, I have to live a life,” he says.
Born in Cheshire, Craig credits his mother for inspiring him to act and he was only six when he started appearing in school plays. By 16, he’d moved to London with the National Youth Theatre and later earned a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama alongside Ewan McGregor.
He made his film debut in 1992’s The Power Of One, the same year he married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon. Though their marriage only lasted two years, they have a daughter, Ella, who was one of the few guests at his wedding to Weisz.
There have been many strong, supporting roles over the years, from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to Road To Perdition, but it was 2004’s gangster movie Layer Cake that really got him noticed and in October 2005, he was announced as the successor to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond.
Craig was deemed an unpopular choice with die-hard fans unable to envision a blond-haired, blue-eyed 007 and the actor initially walked away from the offer. “I couldn’t wrap my head around it or see myself doing it at first,” he admits.
“I genuinely thought they were having a giggle.”
But he soon settled into the role and proved the naysayers wrong by bringing a dramatic depth to the character.
“There’s always going to be somebody who says, ‘That’s not Bond, this is Bond’, but I’ve made this my own and I feel very comfortable and secure about that.”
A notoriously private man, he admits he had to think long and hard about the effect the role would have on his life. “But when it came down to it, I decided to embrace the whole thing. There’s no point doing a Bond movie and hiding away for six months. You have to get out there and do it,” he says, but stresses he’s trying to keep his personal life as private as he can.
“Certainly, I’ve tried to keep my family and friends far away from it and I feel their privacy is crucially important.”
Interestingly, he explores life on the other side of the fence in David Fincher’s recent adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With Dragon Tattoo. In the film, Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist hired by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the disappearance of his niece decades before.
“The truth is, I think journalism is an incredibly important part of a democratic society and some of my heroes are journalists,” admits Craig.
“Obviously journalism sometimes has a negative effect on my world, but I’m big enough and ugly enough to understand why it’s there.”
He says he relished the chance to work with The Social Network’s Fincher despite his reputation as an uncompromising taskmaster.
“That’s kind of what you live for. If you think actors are basically people who like to dress up and show off, it’s a perfect platform for that. I’m like, ‘bring it on’,” says Craig, who’s no stranger to putting in hard graft.
“I like working, it’s as simple as that,” he says. That’s why he was never worried by the threat of being typecast as the man with a license to kill.
“I genuinely don’t think about it.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have some really nice roles thrown at me and I grab them. And if I could do Bond for a few more years then I’d be happy.”
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