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Daniel Craig Calls Display of Masculinity in James Bond 'Laughable', Opens Up on Tackling Vulnerability in Queer
Daniel Craig opens up about his James Bond tenure, addressing concerns about masculinity while promoting new A24 film, Queer. Read on to find out the details.
Daniel Craig recently spoke about his "reservations" about playing James Bond, mentioning the societal construct of masculinity as one of the main issues he faced during his 15-year stint as the legendary MI6 agent. He deemed the character 'artificial' in his recent interview.
While promoting Luca Guadagnino's Queer, Craig spoke to The New Yorker and described the traditional "construct of masculinity" as laughable but necessary to embrace for the role's success. Craig played the role of Bond in five movies, starting with Casino Royale in 2006 and closing with No Time to Die in 2021 where his character's end was definitive.
When asked about his reflection on playing the 'most famous icon of masculinity ever', Craig explained, "I would say one of my biggest reservations about playing [Bond] would be the construct of masculinity."
"It was often very laughable, but you can’t mock it and expect it to work. You have to buy into it," he added, though he said he would never judge a character he had played.
After Bond, he has since taken on multiple roles outside the franchise like the Knives Out series and an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' Queer. He mentioned that leaving Bond freed him creatively but he realized that fame did take its toll on privacy. Speaking more on his movie Queer he said he had been fascinated by the concept of masculinity, and how artificially constructed by society it is.
Craig was candid about how he was a different person during the time he spent as 007, mentioning that he had changed totally. He dismissed any claim that Queer was a response to his Bond legacy.
Reflecting on taking on a role that tackles vulnerability in Queer, he said, "Listen, [James Bond] is nearly 20 years of my life. When I took it on I was one person. I’m now a completely different person. I’m not doing this movie 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?'"
Helmed by Luca Guadagnino, A24's Queer is set in 1950s Mexico City. It deals with the story of an outcast American expat (Daniel Craig) who romantically pursues a younger student, Eugene, played by Love Simon star Drew Starkey.
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