Daniel Craig is trapped in purgatory, forever condemned to repeat the sins of his past. This endless vortex of torment is, of course, the James Bond franchise.
The press tour for Spectre has been a bumpy ride so far, with Craig giving every impression of being heartily sick of playing 007. But with a massive film to promote, Sony has to keep booking him for promotional interviews no matter how grumpy seems.
Things got off to an ominous start with an Esquire interview last month, where Craig said he “can’t even conceive” of returning for another Bond film.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” he said, when asked if he’d come back for another movie after Spectre. “Honestly. I’m not trying to be coy. At the moment I can’t even conceive it.” When pressed, he added, “At this moment, no. I have a life and I’ve got to get on with it a bit.”
By early October, Spectre‘s promotional tour had truly begun. When Time Out magazine asked if Craig was up to reprise the role again, his answer was crystal clear: “Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.” In the same interview, he said he didn’t “give a f***” who played Bond after him. A few days later, Page Six alleged that Sony representatives were now making every effort to shut him up.
Then there was this unintentionally hilarious interview with the official Red Bull magazine The Red Bulletin (yes), during which Craig shot down several of the interviewer’s questions and outright called James Bond a misogynist. The first question is a real doozy:
Daniel Craig has reached Chris-Evans-during-Avengers levels of press tour hatred. pic.twitter.com/DibCGCFREm
— Harry J (@hazbaz) October 21, 2015
At this point, it seems pretty clear that Craig is sick and tired of playing Bond. Like Robert Pattinson (who was openly scornful of Twilight) and several members of the Avengers cast, Craig is bound by an iron-clad contract to make and promote a set number of movies. And if previous interviews are anything to go by, even high-profile public complaints are not going to get him dropped from the Bond franchise. Back in 2012, he told Rolling Stone that he’d been trying to escape since before Skyfall.
“I’ve been trying to get out of this from the very moment I got into it, but they won’t let me go, and I’ve agreed to do a couple more, but let’s see how this one does, because business is business and if the shit goes down, I’ve got a contract that somebody will happily wipe their ass with.”
What a beautiful sentiment. Although in a weird way, Craig’s interview style is refreshing. At least we can be sure he’s being real with us.
Photo via Spectre/Sony Pictures
