52 replies to this topic

[Loomis]

Okay, so CASINO ROYALE was a huge hit, but would you say that Craig is now a household name in America?

Would you think that "most people" know his name (ho ho), or is he, to the average Joe, just "that blond guy who took over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond", or "that Craig Daniels fella"?

I'm under the impression that Dalton never became a Stateside household name. Is Craig in the same position, or far more famous?

[00Twelve]

Kinda, pretty much, as far as I can tell. Most of my friends (of varying ages) know who he is by name, anyway. And not just from me. There are still quite a few asking, "What's his name again?" But by winter of next year, when Bond 22 comes out, I don't think that will be the case anymore. He's a great actor, and he's gonna have fantastic stuff coming out between Bonds.

[Righty007]

After The Invasion and The Golden Compass he'll be very close to becoming a household name and he will reach that status after Bond 22 is released.

[doublenoughtspy]

just "that blond guy who took over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond", or "that Craig Daniels fella"?

That's what I get among friends/family/coworkers...

[The Richmond Spy]

Household face yes, but maybe not name...yet. Another Bond film or perhaps another successful non-Bond before then should do the trick.

At this point in time, I'm not sure anyone is a household name besides Paris Hilton.

[HildebrandRarity]

Household names like Pitt, Cruise, Clooney, Ahhnuld the Governator, Bruce Willis?

Um no...then again some thought it was Pierce Bronson.

I'm with the guys above...after Bond 22 (if it's a good movie)he MIGHT become "a name" but not in the same category as the Americans and Austrian i've mentioned.

[Loomis]

just "that blond guy who took over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond", or "that Craig Daniels fella"?

That's what I get among friends/family/coworkers...

Which Bond actors would you say they'd be able to name?

[Tiin007]

Truth be told, Connery, Moore, and Brosnan are the only Bonds that the average American remembers anyway. Craig has not yet reached the point of becoming a household name, although he is getting closer and closer. By the time of Bond 2.3, he'll be there.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Being on the telly makes you a 'household name' in the USA and so Brosnan was a HHN because of his Remmington Steele days...Dalton may have had a more impressive thespian career but who in South Dakota goes to see classical plays in London or watches the BBC?

I'd say Craig is not a household name yet but close to it...I don't think Craig wants that anyway because a HHN is really a guy on People magazine covers and celebrity gossip rags...he's better off remaining under that press machine's radar. I've only seen him on the cover of movie geek mags and that's just the way I think he should keep it. Myshtery baby, yeah.

[dodge]

We're slow to crown a man as a household name, usually. But when the lightning has struck us, we'll go all out, even learning to spell and pronounce 'Viggo Mortensen'.

[LadySylvia]

Truth be told, Connery, Moore, and Brosnan are the only Bonds that the average American remembers anyway. Craig has not yet reached the point of becoming a household name, although he is getting closer and closer. By the time of Bond 2.3, he'll be there.

He's certainly a household name with the media. When I saw the trailer for THE GOLDEN COMPASS, Craig's name in the cast was listed as thus:

". . . and Daniel Craig"


And if you check the Internet blogs, a lot of American females are going ga-ga over him right now.

[doublenoughtspy]

just "that blond guy who took over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond", or "that Craig Daniels fella"?

That's what I get among friends/family/coworkers...

Which Bond actors would you say they'd be able to name?

Connery, Moore, Brosnan. And Lazenby partly because of my devotion to the film.

[Loomis]

Ah, of course. But the average American wouldn't be able to name Lazenby, I presume.

I take it that, as things stand, Craig comes after Connery, Moore and Brosnan, but before Lazenby and Dalton in the American fame stakes.

[Publius]

I don't think he is, yet. By Bond 23, he probably will be. How well known a Bond actor is seems to be a function of how many times they played Bond and how recent they are, so when Craig has three or more under his belt and Pierce "Bronson" has been out of the part for a decade or so, he could even be better known.

[HH007]

I don't know if he's quite a household name yet, but he's certainly more famous with Bond under his belt than before. When I say "Daniel Craig," I usually get a look of slight recognition, like they know they've heard the name but can't quite place it, and when I say "you know, the new James Bond," people usually go "Oh yeah..."

Before he was known mostly to indie film fans for movies like Layer Cake and Enduring Love, but now he sharing over-the-title billing with Nicole Kidman, and I think the next Bond film he will be a household name. But he definitely is far more well known after Casino Royale than before.

Connery took at least three or four Bond films before people started to recognize his name, and Moore and Brosnan were both already well known before playing Bond. Timothy Dalton WAS a name in the late 80's when he played Bond, but then kind of disappeared from U.S. movies after that, so people forgot about him. And Lazenby just sort of came and went back into obscurity after his one Bond movie.

[Cody]

Ah, of course. But the average American wouldn't be able to name Lazenby, I presume.

Unfortunately, in my experience, people don't even seem to know he exists.

I take it that, as things stand, Craig comes after Connery, Moore and Brosnan, but before Lazenby and Dalton in the American fame stakes.

That would probably be my estimation.

Edited by Cody, 19 June 2007 - 05:43 PM.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

"Most people" I've talked to about Bond can only name the "Big Three" off the top of their heads - Connery, Moore, Brosnan (and even Brosnan's name is kind of a struggle to remember and pronounce for a lot of people). Lazenby, Dalton, and Craig are currently in the "whassisface guy what played Bond in that one fillum" category.

Tough to say whether or not Craig will be a household name at some point. If he does do only three, then they'd have to be three very highly praised films that also make a gargantuan amount of money in order for him to become as popular and well-known as Connery and Moore. Either that, or he'll become more popular due to more rubbish Internet petitions surrounding the next film (which would be a double-edged sword; loads of publicity, but it's bad publicity).

[doublenoughtspy]

I know you were just asking general opinions, but this reminds me very much about the thread that debated whether or not Clive Owen was famous.

We can discuss it relative to our social circles, but there isn't really a quantitative measure of fame.

There are "Q Scores", not related to Boothroyd btw, for broadscasters and brands, that judge recognition and acceptance (popularity quotient).

[dinovelvet]

I went into Starbucks the other day, and as I approached the counter, a male and female barista were talking. I heard the guy say "...I hear he can't even drive a stick". My Craigometer immediately picked up on this so I chimed in with "Daniel Craig?" and he nodded, so I continued with "Yeah I think that was just a rumour, you had these Brosnan fans on the internet making things up about him to make him look bad".
It turns out they had both seen CR (though the girl had waited for DVD because she didn't know if it would be any good), and both gave it thumbs up.
ANYHOO, to answer the question, I'd say he's probably not a huge name in the US, yet. Like others have pointed out, Brosnan had the Remington Steele recognition so he was already established prior to Bond. Craig is coming in as largely unknown, or at best, dat guy who wuz in Tomb Raider. But yeah, another Bond film, and a Golden Compass later, and he'll be up there.

[Johnboy007]

Among "Everyone I Know" Craig is now a well known and recognized actor.

Of course that's "Everyone I Know" and not "Everyone".

[Mister Asterix]

[mra]I

[Aussie21]

Daniel Craig is far from being as recognizable as Connery or Brosnan (or even Moore, I suppose), but he is well on his way. Before CR, very few people would've known who I was talking about had I mentioned him in front of them. Today, while some still struggle to recall who I'm talking about, most do remember that he's the new James Bond.

Also, I think "Daniel Craig" is a very unassuming name, whereas "Pierce Brosnan" is a bit out of the ordinary and may help people to remember the face. That's not to say that my theory is 100% spot on, especially if you consider Roger Moore just under Sean Connery in terms of name recognition. Both names aren't exactly noteworthy.

[DaveBond21]

The average Australian remembers Connery, Moore and Brosnan.

They look confused when I mention Dalton, and don't even know that an Aussie played Bond once.

Daniel Craig is fairly well-known.

[LadySylvia]

I don't think that George Lazenby is still an obscure figure.

[Qwerty]

Is he in the same league as Connery, Moore and Brosnan yet? I'm not sure, but I would tend to say not yet (but he is definitely on the way).

Even after Casino Royale, I didn't think alot of people would immediately know him at the mention of his name, but I've been happily proven wrong on several occasions.

[Bon-san]

Sean = household name.

Roger = household name for people over the age of 35.

Pierce = household name for people under the age of 40.

Tim = not even close.

George = Surprisingly has perhaps a tad more name recognition than Tim. But not even close to a household name.

Daniel = name recognition on par with a B-lister (no shame in that as he's not on the fabled A-list, which is made up of about 7 film actors, 4 television actors, 3 film directors, and 16 "celebrities" whose primary vocation is self-promotion). Daniel may not ever become a household name in the States. Then again, he might. Either way, it won't matter much. Those who matter will know the name.

[mrsbonds_ppk]

Kinda...well in my house it's like "Oh it's that new Bond guy." "He was in Tomb Raider."...."Oh Yeah. Sure was."

Timothy Dalton is more of a household name than him.

Everyone knows those other guys even Lazenby.

[Tiin007]

Truth be told, Connery, Moore, and Brosnan are the only Bonds that the average American remembers anyway. Craig has not yet reached the point of becoming a household name, although he is getting closer and closer. By the time of Bond 2.3, he'll be there.

But he has been in some other notable movies that are well known to the Americans no? Enduring Love and Infamous?

Only movie buffs have really heard of those movies (not your average American). The only movies that are well known to average Americans are major blockbusters (Lord of the Rings, Pirates) or Oscar winners (Crash, Last King of Scotland). So, to answer your question, anyone who has heard of Enduring Love or Infamous (i.e. movie buffs) has also heard of Craig.

[yolt13]

Not a "household" name, in the sense that Connery, Moore and Brosnan are, but certainly a much more recognized personality than before CASINO ROYALE. After all, his upcoming appearances in THE GOLDEN COMPASS and THE INVASION are generating interest and favorable audience reaction to the trailers they would never have received if people didn't look at him and say "Hey! That's James Bond!" Give him one or two more successful Bonds and he'll reach household status. Ultimately, that kind of fame has as much to do with press coverage as it does with the films themselves, and every Bond press junket helps elevate an actor's recognition factor immeasurably. Another round on Letterman, Leno, Conan, the Today show, etc. (and assuming he doesn't abruptly quit the series after two films!) and he'll be a true superstar here in the States.

[Qwerty]

"Oh it's that new Bond guy." "He was in Tomb Raider."...."Oh Yeah. Sure was."

Besides Casino Royale, I rarely see Craig mentioned for any of his other film roles.