In the latest issue of Premiere Magazine, a sit-down with actor Daniel Craig reveals that he agreed to step into the shoes of James Bond after getting some helpful advice from his Munich director, Steven Spielberg. Craig, who was previously most known for his role as philandering poet Ted Hughes in Sylvia, was reluctant to step into the shoes of the legendary martini-sipper, and had a frank conversation with Spielberg about his dilemma. "You know the kind of films I do, Steven, they're not, you know, this," he told the director. Spielberg responded by telling Craig that if the script and the money were right, it was a no-brainer. Is this late revelation by Craig a way of sending a signal to the acting community that he still considers himself a thesp? Or is it standard publicity-tour stuff?
In the interview, Craig also reveals that he threw his weight around on the set, nixing a scene that involved a suicide bomber. He apparently believes Bond films are best when they exist out of time and have no bearing whatsoever on the real world. It's important that all the bad guys be trying to walk away with "a suitcase full of cash," Craig says. He also slides in a cryptic statement to the interviewer that seems to betray some animus towards Bondage in general: "There are certain things that Bond means to you that just don't mean anything to me."
I say it's obvious to all of us now that Craig have input in all the scenes in appears in, making suggestions and changing things, like the shower scene (deletion of the bikini, keeping the dress for Vesper), or as stated above, the airport scene. We know he asked for several rewrites in the script. Now, I'm sure he still talks to Spielberg. Could Spielberg have influence on Craig, and therefore, by ricochet, contributed to the success of CR ?