The director of “Casino Royale” was worried that Daniel Craig wasn’t as “sexy” as other James Bond actors
Casino Royale Director Martin Campbell has revealed that his “only reservation” about Daniel Craig taking on the iconic James Bond role was that he wasn’t as “sexy” as his predecessors.
The British-American actor took over the role of 007 in 2006 from Pierce Brosnan, who played the role of the secret agent Gold eye (1995), Tomorrow never dies (1997), The world is Not Enough (1999) and die Another Day (2002).
Campbell, who worked with Brosnan on the actor’s James Bond debut in 1995, later returned for the franchise’s new 007 start in 2006.
“He really was a great actor, there’s no doubt about that,” the New Zealand director said of Craig in a recent interview with Craig The Daily Express, But “it was the fact that people like Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan were traditional-looking Bonds.”
“All handsome guys, all sexy, all very attractive to women and so on,” Campbell added. “Daniel was obviously tougher and tougher, but he wasn’t a traditionally good-looking guy.
“So I just thought about it for a minute and other than that it was absolutely always him.”
Campbell said Craig beat out eight other actors, including a young Henry Cavill, to be Brosnan’s replacement.
Of the “very democratic” selection process, the director explained: “You sit at a table… It was me and the producers, the casting director, etc. And you go through the eight people and raise your hand as you talk through them if you understand What I mean is that every person has to agree, and ultimately everyone has to agree on their decision.”
Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale”
(MGM)
The Knife out The 55-year-old star has appeared as Bond in five films: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), spook (2015) and No time to die (2021).
The search for the next 007 continues following Craig’s exit in 2021.
The leading candidates for the role of the world’s most famous spy include Kraven the Hunter Lead actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page and Happy valleyAccording to the bookmakers, his name is James Norton.
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Casting director Debbie McWilliams recently excluded younger actors from the role because they “did not have the mental capacity” for the iconic role.
British actor Idris Elba, meanwhile, has pulled out of the running for the coveted film role after saying he was turned off by the “disgusting and repugnant” discourse around race.
“Those who were unhappy with the idea found the whole thing vile and repugnant because it was about race,” he said on the website Smart podcast, adding: “It was about nonsense and I took the brunt of it.”