Daniel Craig, who holds the sceptre of James Bond, says, ‘We try and do everything for real’
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in the 24th film of the franchise, Spectre, releasing on November 20.
The film, directed by Sam Mendes, also stars Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ralph Fiennes as M reprise their roles. In Cancun, Mexico, the 47-year-old talks to Mini Anthikad Chhibber of his fourth outing as the suave super spy. Excerpts:
What is it like to embody the most iconic male character of all time? Do you feel like you’ve lost yourself a little bit?
I really, genuinely try not to think about it at all, just so I can live as normal a life as possible. And I try to go to the shop to buy a pint of milk without looking over my shoulder, because otherwise, life would be terrible.
It has been extraordinary and it has taken me to places, most incredible places that I never would have gone to. I have met and worked with brilliant, brilliant, brilliant people and still am.
When I started shooting these movies, it was a huge eye-opener for me. I’d never been involved with anything like this. I am in a very good place.
I am working with a friend who has come back and done the next movie and that makes me very happy.
How physical were the action sequences?
We just have to be better than everybody else, really. We try and do everything for real. And where we can’t, we are very sparing of CGI.
Could you comment about working with Monica Bellucci?
Well, we’ve been blessed with an amazing cast and Monica is part of that.
She is an extraordinary actress. She is wonderful to work with.
She is incredibly kind and generous and we are just very, very lucky to have her.
What is the danger quotient in the movie?
It would be very hard to talk about that. It is sort of giving away the plot. But needless to say, there is plenty of danger in it.
How was shooting the Day of the Dead sequence in Mexico City?
It was incredibly easy. We had so much cooperation from Mexico.
The people were just extraordinary and excited and, without them, the scene just wouldn’t have happened.
We have very experienced crew members who’ve seen it all, on every big movie you can name. And they were as genuinely thrilled as we were.