Daniel Craig jokes about negative Bond comments: "I wouldn't change a second"
The star made reference to past remarks that he'd "rather slash my wrists" than play the role again.
It's been almost a year since the release of No Time to Die marked the end of Daniel Craig's tenure as 007 – and this week the star has been reflecting on his record-breaking stint in the role.
Speaking at an event honouring long-time Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, Craig spoke enthusiastically of his time playing the iconic double-0 agent.
And he even made light of some of his past negative comments about working on the franchise, much to the delight of the watching crowd.
"On a personal note, I am so very deeply proud of the work we've done together," he said. "I am humbled and amazed by our achievements, the records we've broken and the lives that we've affected.
"And although on occasion sometimes I've complained, grumbled – even threatened to slash my wrists – I wouldn't change a second of it."
Those remarks were in reference to some much-publicised comments Craig made back in 2015, shortly before the release of Spectre, when he said he would "rather slash my wrists" than reprise the role for a fifth time.
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He previously walked back those comments in an interview with Radio Times magazine last year, saying: "A little more skill in the answer might have been better. I was joking but it came across as ungrateful."
Craig might have finished playing Bond, but he's stepping back into another popular role this year – returning as detective Benoit Blanc for Glass Onion, the second entry in Rian Johnson's Knives Out whodunnit series.
Meanwhile, the search to find his replacement as Bond still has a while left to go – with Broccoli recently teasing that "it’s going to be a couple of years off".
Read more:
- James Bond's next "reinvention" needs to bring the fun back to 007 movies
- Idris Elba reacts to Pierce Brosnan's James Bond in unearthed video
- James Bond bosses sign deal to take franchise 'beyond 75th birthday'
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
