Simply put, the British stage and character actor didnt see himself asthat guy.
They were going to show me a script that was like other Bond movies.
It was going to have the gags in it, what Pierce did, what Sean had done.
Credit: Tiziana Fabi/Getty Images
Theyd all be in there.
And I could go, Thank you very much, good luck with that.
And that would have been wonderful.
RANKIN for EW
I would have been totally at peace with it.
But they didnt, he continues.
They gave meCasino Royale.
It was brilliantly written becausePaul Haggishad given it his all.
And I went, Thats what I can do something with!
I cant do an impression of anybody else.
Credit the mean-mugging, serial F-bomb dropping former rugby player with widening 007s parameters.
Every generation can be said to get the Bond that they deserve.
Spectre(Nov. 6) marks Craigs first outing as co-producer on a Bond movie.
I didnt want the character to just be what a lot of the older Bonds were, he says.
Not sort of a criticism of them.
The character was there.
He was Bond, these fing amazing things happened and then it ended.
I dont know how to do that.
Im not wired that way.
We spent months and months before we started this hammering out the script to make it do that.
So that it was possible for that to happen.
But whenSkyfalldirectorSam Mendesinitially declined an offer to direct the sequel, Craig faced the limits of his ambition.
The performer admits he didnt want to continue without Mendes on the project.
They were very keen, as studios would be, to ride the wave.
Lets do another one.
[Mendes] had a lot of other commitments.
He needed that space to go, F this!
I dont want to think about Bond!…
I just was like, Ew.
At first, it was like, Oh f. I thought, Im gonna do it with him.
Im not going to do it with anybody else.
I want to do it with him.
However, the actor never explored his opt-out clauses because Mendes was ultimately persuaded to return.
(For more on that, check out this weeks cover story in Entertainment Weekly.)
Thats not the main thrust of the film.
Its the foundation of the film.
It does pay in somewhere.
But I know that we gave it the best we could.
We threw as much moneyand we had a lot of money to spendat the screen.
The audience deserves it, as well.
Theyve stuck with me for three movies!
