Daniel Craig Says Playing His ‘Queer’ Role During His Bond Years Would Have Felt ‘Reactionary’: “I couldn’t have done this”

Daniel Craig played James Bond in 5 movies from 2006 to 2021, starting with ‘Casino Royale.’ His portrayal brought a grittier, more emotional side to the character, which was different from previous Bond actors. His final movie as Bond was ‘No Time to Die,’ where he ended his iconic role after 15 years.

Moving away from his Bond role, Craig’s most recent release is ‘Queer.’ ‘Queer’ is a 2024 romantic drama set in 1950s Mexico City, directed by Luca Guadagnino and based on William S. Burroughs’ novella.

The film follows an American expat, played by Daniel Craig, who becomes infatuated with a younger man, played by Drew Starkey. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews, with Craig winning Best Actor at the National Board of Review. The movie had a limited release in November 2024 and is set for a nationwide release on December 13th.

Craig said that he couldn’t have played a “queer” role while he was playing James Bond because it would have seemed like he was trying too hard to prove his acting abilities. He feels that it would look forced or out of place, especially during his time as Bond, where the character was very different from the role he’s discussing.

I couldn’t have done this while doing Bond. It would look reactionary, like I was showing my range.

The actor said that at the start of his Bond career, he thought he needed to take other roles to prove himself, but he didn’t. While becoming a star and getting job offers was great, the work left him feeling empty.

He explains that after finishing a Bond film, he was so exhausted it took him months to recover emotionally. Craig emphasizes that he eventually realized life should come first, but for a while, work took priority and drained him.

Early on with Bond I thought I had to do other work, but I didn’t. I was becoming a star, whatever that means, and people wanted me in their films. Incredible. Most actors are out of work for large chunks so you take your job offers — but they left me empty. Then, bottom line, I got paid. I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond it would take me six months to recover emotionally. I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out.

Craig also rejected the idea that playing a gay character while being Bond would make a statement about masculinity. He said he didn’t want to have that conversation, as he had already dealt with similar discussions during his time as Bond. Craig felt that such debates were unnecessary and that life is too short to focus on them.

It’s just not a conversation I wanted. I had it all the way through Bond anyway, Could there be this Bond? That Bond? So anything that is going to inflame that conversation? No — life’s too short.

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