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Daniel Craig named next 007
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-16 09:55
James Bond is going back to his roots. And they're blond. Sandy-haired
English actor Daniel Craig was unveiled Friday as the star of the next Bond
film, "Casino Royale," due in theaters in November 2006.
"I had a couple of martinis when I found out," Craig said.
Craig's name, the subject of speculation for weeks, was revealed as he was
whisked down the River Thames aboard a military speedboat to a waterside news
conference. He replaces Pierce Brosnan, who has starred in the last four Bond
films.
Craig, 37, said he'd only found out on Monday that he definitely had the
part. He said that while being considered, he'd had to think about whether he
really wanted the job.
"It was difficult, but I tried to think about it like any other job. We have
got an incredible script, and that is my first line of attack. Once I had read
it, I knew I did not have any choice," Craig said. "It is a huge iconic figure
in movie history, and those things don't come along very often."
Producer Michael G. Wilson said 200 actors had been considered, but Craig was
the only one who had been offered the role.
Speculation about the new Bond included Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin
Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Hugh Jackman,
Heath Ledger and Eric Bana.
Craig has had a busy career that includes roles in the 1990s British TV drama
"Our Friends in the North" and films including "The Mother," "Enduring Love" and
"Layer Cake." He played Paul Newman's sinister son in "Road to Perdition," was
poet Ted Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow's Sylvia Plath in "Sylvia" and appeared
in this year's thriller "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody.
He's currently filming another thriller, "The Visiting," with Nicole Kidman.
Craig is the first blond Bond and the second Englishman to play the suave
British superspy.
Of the five other actors to play 007, only Roger Moore is English-born. Sean
Connery is Scottish, George Lazenby Australian, Timothy Dalton was born in Wales
and Brosnan is Irish.
A respected screen actor but not _ until Friday _ a household name, Craig
acknowledged feeling uncomfortable with the level of fame his new role will
bring him.
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