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Daniel Craig reveals he celebrated 007 role by drinking vodka martinis alone
3 years ago
Daniel Craig has revealed he celebrated winning the James Bond role by getting drunk alone on vodka martinis.
The actor first played 007 in 2006âs Casino Royale and is preparing for the release of his fifth and final film in the franchise, No Time To Die.
Craig, widely considered one of the greatest Bonds, recalled discovering he had landed one of the most sought-after roles in Hollywood from franchise producer Barbara Broccoli.
The 53-year-old had been filming in the US when he got the call.
Speaking on the sixth and final episode of the No Time To Die: The Official James Bond podcast, Craig said: âWe were in Baltimore and I shot off to go and do a screen test, which of course I couldnât tell anyone about.
âAnd I came back and carried on filming in Baltimore and then I got a phone call from Barbara saying, âthe gig is yoursâ.
âIt was a long process, it was about a year between that and me sitting down with Barbara and Michael for the first time. From the moment it came about, it was mainly sort of disbelief of like, âreally? Really? Really?â I couldnât get my head around any of it and still didnât really believe it.â
Craig was sworn to secrecy until the casting was made official and had to celebrate alone.
He said: âI was in the supermarket buying groceries and the phone went and Barbara said, âover to you kiddoâ.
âI got drunk, thatâs what I did. I bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of vermouth, a cocktail shaker and made myself three or four vodka martinis.
âExcept I could only do it on my own because I couldnât celebrate with anybody because I had to keep it secret. There was a sort of melancholy to it.â
Craig said the fact he had taken on one of the most famous roles in film history did not fully sink in until he began shooting the movie.
He said: âThe first day of shooting was the moment I suppose I went, âOk now weâre doing thisâ. But up until then, I couldnât really take it in.â
Broccoli, the daughter of revered Bond producer Albert R âCubbyâ Broccoli, said Craig was her first choice but the âbig problem was he didnât want to do itâ.
He feared such a high-profile role would have too much of a transformative effect on his life, according to Broccoli, and had to be convinced by her and co-producer Michael G Wilson.
She said: âIt took some persuading but eventually he sat with Michael and I and he said, âif Iâm gong to take this on, I want to be an integral part of the process. I want to be involved in the scripts, I want to be involved in every element of filmmaking.’â
Broccoli said Craig, who before starring as Bond had appeared in films including Elizabeth, Road To Perdition and Layer Cake, has been a âtremendous helpâ with the series.
Recalling Craigâs initial decision to walk away from 007 after 2015âs Spectre, Broccoli said: âDaniel of course thought after the last one that he wanted to finish and I didnât feel that it was right. I said to him, âthereâs still more of your story to tellâ.
âIt took him some time to think it over and then he came back to us and said âno, I think youâre rightâ.
âAnd so this film is very important because it does kind of close the chapter on his tenure and itâs a really extraordinary film and heâs never been better.â
Asked about the future of the Bond franchise, Broccoli said she was focussed on celebrating Craigâs contribution before looking ahead.
She said: âThe future is to be decided. Once weâve opened the film and weâve allowed audiences to see it and weâve celebrated Daniel, then weâll knuckle down and try and come up with a plan to tackle the future.â
All episodes of the No Time To Die: The Official James Bond podcast are available now on Apple, Spotify, and all podcast providers.
No Time To Die will be released in the UK on September 30.