I would be ‘terrified’ to lead ‘Queer’ during the James Bond era

Daniel Craig might not fit”Foreign‘ in his ‘brand’ of being James Bond.

The actor told the New York Times that while starring as 007 in five films from 2006 to 2021, he felt he couldn’t stray from the brand of the iconic literary character. Leading a feature like “Queer” could have even been seen as stunt casting at the time, too, according to the interview.

“I wouldn’t have done it,” Craig said of rejecting the Luca Guadagnino film if it was offered to him ten years ago. “I was so wrapped up in Bond and what that was, I would have been terrified to do something like this.”

Craig continued: “Especially in the beginning with Bond, I thought, ‘This is enough. Stay in my lane. ”

Craig’s tenure as Bond began in 2006 with ‘Casino Royale’. He went on to star in ‘Quantum of Solace’, ‘Skyfall’, ‘Spectre’ and ‘No Time to Die’, concluding his turn as 007 in 2021.

Craig explained that as an actor there is a balance between being a ‘brand’ and selecting roles for their artistic nature.

“It shouldn’t take the lead,” Craig said about whether or not a role would lead to typecasting. “Will the public react? In film you have to take care of your audience, I think, but you can’t really wink at them while you’re making the film.”

He added: ‘Someone interviewed me recently and said, ‘How long did it take you to come up with this brand change?’ (…) Celebrity kills you. Really, it’s a horrible, horrible thing that can happen and I think you really have to fight all the things it throws in your face because it’s so easy to be tempted. Generating and maintaining that brand is about how much exposure you have.”

Craig might even identify with his “Queer” character Lee, a World War II veteran who wanders the streets of Mexico hoping to fit in.

“I recognize the character in myself,” Craig said. “I recognize the pain, the longing, the longing, the love, the difficulty and all the mistakes. (…) I have had to examine myself a lot over the past twenty years to deal with it. There was a time when I locked myself away. This is where the madness lies: you think, “I can’t go there because I’m so important.” I find it very difficult, this job, and it becomes more and more difficult as I get older.

Craig summarized, “Sometimes I find it very laughable, the idea of ​​masculinity. Most men go through life doing this act. But it is an act.”

Craig and director Guadagnino were infamously asked at the Venice Film Festival press conference for the premiere of “Queer” if there could ever be a gay James Bond. Instead, “Queer” author Guadagnino said, “Guys, let’s be adults in the room for a moment. There is no escaping the fact that no one would ever know James Bond’s desires, period.”

And there doesn’t seem to be any love lost for Craig as he no longer plays Bond.

When asked by Variety“If you were to pass the James Bond torch, who would you like to see play it?” Craig laughed and said: “I don’t care.”

Craig and Guadagnino are in talks to reunite DC Studios’ feature film “Sgt. Stone.”