Daniel Craig, the actor who has played James Bond since Casino Royale in 2006, said he thought his audition for the role wasn’t serious and that he’d be dismissed as cannon fodder.
In an interview with the New York Times earlier this week, Craig said he didn’t think he would end up getting the part and would have been lucky to play a dispensable villain, adding “Here you go, have a baddie.”
“I was just amongst the mix — someone to dismiss,” Craig said.
Fortunately for Craig, he didn’t get to play a villain, and instead ended up getting far more than he bargained for, playing the legendary super-spy himself, James Bond. Thus far, Craig has starred in four 007 films spanning almost a decade collectively grossing over $3 billion, including Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre in addition to his debut as the character in Casino Royale.
Now, with No Time to Die set to open in just over a week, Craig is ready to step away from the franchise and bid farewell to the character he has played for the last 15 years. Alongside Craig, the film will star Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Naomi Harris, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, and Ben Whishaw.
No Time to Die has had a rocky lead up to its release and faced repeated delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but fans will finally get a chance to give Craig’s bond a proper sendoff when the film makes its long-awaited debut on October 8th.