"I Would Have Been Terrified": Daniel Craig Wouldn't Have Done Upcoming Movie While Playing James Bond

Daniel Craig has had a fascinating career over the past two decades. On the one hand, he is known as Agent 007, the lead in the James Bond franchise. Craig made his first foray into the hit spy franchise in 2006, acting in Casino Royale. He would go on to act in five Bond films in total, making his final appearance as the character in No Time To Die. Craig was well-liked during his tenure as the Bond character, but as he says goodbye to the protagonist, the search for his replacement in Bond 26 continues.




While Bond took up a lot of time during these years, Craig has managed to make himself available for a number of other films, many of which are very different roles than Bond. This includes playing the sleuthing and boisterous Benoit Blanc in Knives Out. This role earned the actor praise for his comedic potential, showing the wide range that he was capable of. Though he did act in other parts during his Bond tenure, there is one role that Craig thinks he would not have done before leaving 007 behind.


Craig Would Not Have Made His 2024 Film While Playing James Bond

Craig Was “So Wrapped Up In Bond”


In a conversation with The New York Times, Craig explains that he would not have taken on the role in Queer while doing the Bond movies. The actor first talks about whether he is a “brand” and while he concludes no in some regards, he also admits that he would not have done the movie Queer had it been offered to him a decade ago. As for the reason for this hypothetical decision, Craig said that he was “so wrapped up in Bond and what that was” and being in Queer would have made him “terrified.” Check out the full quote from Craig below:

Am I a brand? You have to do social media, and I can’t do that. I even regret emails I send.

I wouldn’t have done [Queer 10 years ago]. I was so wrapped up in Bond and what that was, I would have been terrified of doing something like this. Especially early on with Bond, I was like, ‘This is enough. Stay in my lane.’


Set for release on November 27, Queer is a Luca Guadagnino movie about an American man named William Lee who recounts his journeys in Mexico City. While there, he meets a fellow ex-pat, college student Eugene Allerton, with whom he starts a relationship. Queer is getting good reviews, with praise directed at Craig specifically, and it has gotten buzzy enough for Craig to be in talks for an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. It is good, then, that Queer is coming out when it is, as the actor is not as restricted by the Bond image.

Our Take On Craig’s Queer Casting

It Is A Very Different Role Than Bond

While Craig did ultimately end up playing Lee, his story is a testament to the importance of the Bond image. It was only No Time to Die, the most recent Bond film, that a major Bond character (Ben Whishaw’s Q) was revealed to be gay. While Craig playing a gay man in another movie would not have had any bearing on his Bond sexuality, the character is typically portrayed as a conventionally masculine, straight man. Being in Queer might affect how the public saw Craig at that time, even if they love him in the movie now.


Source: NYT