Daniel Craig recently caused controversy when he said he’d rather slash his wrists than play James Bond and he gets candid again about the 007 character in a new interview.
An interviewer for The Red Bulletin told Craig, “Many men admire Bond for his way with the ladies,” and Craig responded, “But let’s not forget that he’s actually a misogynist.”
“A lot of women are drawn to him chiefly because he embodies a certain kind of danger and never sticks around for too long,” said Craig, who is promoting the new Bond film Spectre. Interviewer Rudiger Sturm countered by pointing out that it seems Bond has become more chivalrous in recent films.
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“That’s because we’ve surrounded him with very strong women who have no problem putting him in his place,” replied Craig. Sturm then said that in this film Bond succumbs “to the charms of an older woman.” Craig was quick to correct him.
“I think you mean the charms of a woman his own age. We’re talking about Monica Bellucci, for heaven’s sake,” said Craig. “When someone like that wants to be a Bond girl, you just count yourself lucky!”
Craig was also asked what people can learn from Bond that would help them in their day-to-day lives. He paused and then replied “Nothing.” When Sturm said “surely he must have a couple of inspirational personality traits” Craig said, “Let’s not talk these films up as some kind of life-changing experience.” He continued, “Bond is what Bond does. Bond is very single- minded. He takes his own course. And that’s simple, which is great.”
The Spectre actor did have a few niceties to say about Bond though. “Bond can be a gentleman. Sometimes, anyway,” he said in response to what his favorite trait is about the character. “He’s a considerate person, he takes care of business, and he looks out for other people and his family. He’s someone who opens doors for people — for everyone, that is, not just women.”
As for when he’s going to stop playing Bond he says he still doesn’t know.
“What I need right now is to stop working, relax and get back to normal life,” said Craig. “There’s nothing unusual about that. It’s really horrible not seeing your family for weeks at a time. There’s one thing I actually find more exciting than Bond at the moment: going home.”
