CASINO ROYALE
An Interview with Daniel Craig
By Wilson Morales

The way the film ends is the way the film began.

DC: I couldn’t have done the film unless that had happened. If there was to be another Bond movie now, it’s because we set that up; otherwise I’m just coming in, filling in until the next guy, and I just didn’t want to do that. Whatever falls or rises out of this is because we set up a character; somebody that we now know who that person is or what they are capable of or what they are not capable of. Everyone is saying, “Well, now he’s Bond”. Well, he’s Bond, but he can still make mistakes and he can still screw it up and we as an audience should question his morals and his tactics. The fact is that we actually think that he can get into danger. The outcome might be as healthy as we think it is.

Did you have any personal fears being up on that height?

DC: When I was standing up there I didn’t close my eyes and I looked down. You know that whole thing where they say to you, ‘never look down.’ Look down because when you’re up there it’s a great view. You’ve got to take it in. Yes, it’s kind of weird but you feel very safe to a degree but it’s disconcerting because you are standing on this and there’s a drop of about 150 feet. You’re wired so if I fell I’d be OK but the brain is a funny thing saying, ‘no, no, no.’ It’s just breathing and getting through it.

How’s working with Judi Dench?

DC: She’s extraordinary. It’s been terrific to work with that lady and a lady she is. She has stunningly beautiful eyes. When you act with her, you can’t see anything else. They kinda glow and you’re sucked in. I’m sure it’s a ploy of hers, but she’s got a very naughty smile and a naughty sense of humor.

What was it like driving the famous Astin Martin car?

DC: Just incredible. I was smiling ear to ear every time but I drove it and wrecked it. I wasn’t supposed to but I did. There’s a circuit in England where we were filming. I was going down about 150 miles an hour into a tight corner and hitting the wrong gear and the clutch got a little bit smoky shall we say but next time I won’t do it. The stunt guys who did the car turning over and over (during the crash scene where Bond tries to swerve away from Vesper Lynd who has been tied up in the middle of the road by the terrorists) made the Guinness Book of World Records because turning a car over and over like that has never been done on film that many times.

What were you doing when you found out you got the role for James Bond?

DC: I was in Baltimore taking a break from a film and everybody was at work. It was a quiet day and I needed to get some groceries. There was a Whole Foods store just around the corner. I had some food in my hands which I was holding from the shelf and the phone rang and Barbara (Broccoli) was on and she said, ‘over to you kiddo.’ I put the phone down and went to the liquor store in Whole Foods because they have a good one. I spent about five minutes choosing a really, really good bottle of vodka, a really good bottle of vermouth. I got a shaker, went home crushed it all up and got smashed. I had about three or four very large vodka Martinis. In Baltimore there are great bars which is like a bit like Liverpool where I come from. I walked in and somebody started talking to me immediately probably because I was grinning so much but I couldn’t tell them (the news) so we had an evening, watched the game (on TV) and I don’t remember getting home which is the best way to finish that story.

Were you always a Martini man?

DC: Finding a good Martini in London, there are few places where you can get one but I’ve worked and lived over in the states so I mix a pretty mean one. It has to be right. I usually test the bar out and see them while they’re being mixed. If it’s looking good I’ll order one. There’s only way to have a Martini and that’s vodka cold as hell so that the crystals start forming shaken over ice with no fruit (twist of lemon).

Are you ready for the onslaught of fame that is sure to happen to you when the film comes out?

DC: There’s an onslaught of things that can happen which is an invasion of my space, my privacy. I’ve got to try and retain that which is a basic human right we all have, but I understand I will be losing some of that space and I’ve got to figure how I deal with that. Family and friends need looking after so I need to keep that wall up. Obviously this is a big deal. My family is cued in and gets it. They know I wasn’t just handed a golden ticket. They know what goes along with this and the work involved. All my family and friends know the reality of this. It’s not like suddenly from day to day things change. I’m doing my job.

Are you signed on for the next one?

DC: We have to figure that out, but hopefully we’ll do that within plenty of time.

Do you have a favorite Bond film and what was James Bond to you growing up?

DC: It’s either “Dr.No” or “Russia with Love”. They’re definitive. They’re great movies. It doesn’t matter whether they’re Bond movie, they’re great movies.

Have you had a chance to speak to Pierce Brosnan about the role?

DC: I did speak to Pierce. He’s been great. He’s just been very supportive and I can’t thank him enough. He just said, “Get on with it, do it. Go for it”.

Is it an odd feeling for you to know that playing James Bond is a day at the office?

DC: I didn’t go to an office. The job I chose to do from an early age was not to do that. It’s not part of what I do. What I tend to do now is that I have to go to the office. That becomes part of the producing side of things. I’m not a producer but I get involved with that. I’m out there, dressing up and doing it. If it feels like that, it shouldn’t be. That’s wrong. You have to change that. It has to feel special otherwise it won’t feel special on screen.

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