Martin Campbell, who directed Daniel's first movie as 007, admits that he was initially hesitant to cast the star as the iconic spy because he looked different than his predecessors.
- September 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - Martin Campbell was unconvinced by Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond. The 79-year-old filmmaker helmed "Casino Royale", Daniel's first movie as 007, but was hesitant to cast the star as the iconic spy as he was "tougher and ruggeder" than predecessors such as Sir Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan.
Campbell told The Express, "My only reticence with Daniel... he was a really superb actor, there's no doubt about that... it was the fact that with people like Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan was that they were all traditional looking Bonds. All handsome guys, all sexy, all very attractive to women and so forth."
"Daniel was obviously tougher and ruggeder, but he wasn't a traditional handsome guy," Campbell continued. "So I just thought about that for a minute and apart from that, absolutely it was always him."
Craig, 55, bowed out as Bond in the 2021 film "No Time to Die" and Martin gave a glimpse into the "democratic" process that 007 bosses will use to decide who succeeds the actor in the world-famous role.
The "GoldenEye" director said, "The way they work with Bond and it's pretty terrific is when they decide on the actor and you audition, in our case, it was eight people, it's very democratic. You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself and the producers, casting director etc etc. And you go through the eight people and you put your hand up as you talk through each person and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision, if you see what I mean."
