Daniel Craig didn’t want to mess up his lucky streak.
The actor, 56, recently revealed he had no game plan after wrapping up his 15-year reign as James Bond other than possibly never working again.
Craig spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his life post-007 and the unexpected journey it led him on to play William Lee in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film “Queer,” in which his character becomes infatuated with a younger man (Drew Starkey).
“I had no plan whatsoever. I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll never work again,’” he said during the interview after starring in his fifth “Bond” film.
However, he didn’t lay low, starring in several films since “No Time to Die” (2021) — and it wasn’t Craig’s role as Bond that caught Guadagnino’s eye.
“But there’s a movie I did quite a few years ago called Love Is the Devil, which Luca is a big fan of. I play the reverse role in that movie [the younger man in a gay relationship rather than the older one, as in Queer]. But everybody gets old! Luca wanted to adapt Queer for many years,” he explained.
“The rights finally came free not that long ago, and he approached me. I’d have swept the floor for the guy because I think all his movies are exceptional and individual.”
Craig was part of THR’s 2024 roundtable, which gathered several leading men in Hollywood and grouped them for a chat about the industry.
Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Emmy winner Colman Domingo, Marvel superhero Sebastian Stan, Oscar-nominated heartthrob Paul Mescal and actor Peter Sarsgaard were also featured.
Earlier this month, Craig revealed that making 2008’s “Quantum of Solace” was a “f–king nightmare” due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
“We should never probably have started production, but we did,” he added. “I ended up writing a lot of that film, which I probably shouldn’t say. I do not want the credit. It’s fine.”
In 2019, Craig announced he was done playing the iconic spy after five films. His final installment, “No Time to Die,” featured his character’s death.
While recently promoting “Queer,” Craig shared that he’s become a “different person” since ending his time as Bond.
“Listen, [Bond] is nearly 20 years of my life,” he said. “When I took it on I was one person. I’m now completely a different person. I’m not doing this movie [‘Queer’] in response to that. I’m not that small. But I couldn’t have done this movie when I was doing Bond. It would’ve felt kind of, ‘Why? What are you trying to prove?’”
The next 007 has yet to be announced. However, rumor has it that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, was offered the job — but he’s staying tight-lipped.
