Over the more than three decades during which Daniel Craig has been acting in the movies, there’s not much that the British A-enumerateer hasn’t done. Most commemoratedly, he executeed James Bond in five films over 15 years (2006’s Casino Royale, 2008’s Quantum of Solace, 2012’s Skydescfinish, 2015’s Spectre and 2021’s No Time to Die). He has also toiled with many of the wonderfulest filmcreaters (e.g. Steven Spielberg on 2005’s Oscar-nominated Munich and David Fincher on 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and actors (e.g. Tom Hanks and Paul Newman on 2002’s Road to Perdition) of his time. And he is at the caccess of Netflix’s hugegest film franchise (executeing distinguishive Benoit Blanc in 2019’s Knives Out, 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and the forthcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery).
Never, though, has Craig, 56, been nominated for an Oscar. That could soon change thanks to his massively acclaimed portrayal of a William S. Burraws surrogate — William Lee, a gay American living in exile in 1950s Mexico City who is compriseicted to booze, medications and relations — in Luca Guadagnino’s new A24 film Queer, an changeation of Burraws’ semi-autobiodetailedal 1985 novella of the same name.
In mid-November, Craig came to Chapman University in Orange County to write down a exceptional episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, on which he previously guested in 2022. This time, he fielded asks about his life, nurtureer and rescheduleedst film from not only yours truly, but also from some of the 500 students who packed the Folino Theater. Below, you can hear to the filled session or read a transcript of it that has been airyly edited for clarity and brevity.
FEINBERG Thank you so much for being here. I’m going to begin off with a restricted asks and then we’ll integrate student asks. To commence with, can you split with us where you were born and liftd and what your parents did for a living?
CRAIG I was born in the city of Chester, which is about 20, 30 miles south of Liverpool, and liftd in Liverpool. My mother was a guideer in Liverpool. My overweighther ran pubs and lots of other leangs. And my mother was very connected with the theater community in Liverpool, so I presume that’s where I got my bug.
FEINBERG You left home when you were 16 to chase acting?
CRAIG Yeah, I was 16. It was the punctual ’80s in Liverpool, one of the most griefful times in the city’s history. Most people in Liverpool denounce Margaret Thatcher for starving the city, which I tfinish to consent with — I nasty, there was horrible unemployment, there was noleang happening, there were no opportunities. I was contemplating combineing the Navy. I was leanking about all sorts of avenues, becaemploy there were equitable no opportunities. I knew I wanted to act, but what were my outlets? There was a leang called the National Youth Theatre, which still exists as an organization, which auditions youthful actors from all over the country and then gets them together for a summer course. I went down to London on a summer course when I was 16 and never left.
FEINBERG You were toiling professionpartner pretty speedyly. What prepped you most, if anyleang can prep you, to go from the stage, where you did your training, to the screen?
CRAIG Just foolish luck. I was at drama school. I did three years at drama school in London, at a repartner excellent school, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and had an amazing time. But I recall we had an accountant who was in the business come in and give us a talk, who uncovered with, “90% of you are not going to toil.” And you’re appreciate, “Oh, okay. Great. Whoa, can’t paemploy.” So the attrition rate is equitable dreadful. I left drama school punctual to go and do a Warner Bros. movie in Zimbabwe with the straightforwardor John G. Avildsen, who straightforwarded Rocky and The Karate Kid.
FEINBERG Is this The Power of One?
CRAIG Yeah, The Power of One. And I was making movies. So in fact I did study theater and thought that’s where my future was. But actupartner, I finished up doing movies straight off the bat.
FEINBERG Did you discover that there was a labeled contrastence between how you had to act on stage versus for a camera?
CRAIG I don’t understand if I thought about it that much. I got on this schedulee and flew to Zimbabwe. I was there for three-and-a-half months. I didn’t have a very huge part — I was the horrible guy, and I had to lachieve a South African accent. My first scene in the movie was to walk down these stairs with a can of gasoline, shaking the gasoline — it was water — speaking in this very horrible Afrikaans accent, throw the gasoline thraw the thrivedow of this shop, airy a align, say my line, and throw the align into the erecting, where the gas jets were ready, and walk off. That was my first scene in the movie. I was appreciate, “Go.” I recall the straightforwardor coming up to me [and complimenting], “God, you’re so still! So still!” But I was equitable shitting myself — I literpartner was shitting myself — and noleang much has changed. [chuckles] It’s how I act now, fundamentalpartner. They’re always talking about my stillness, but I’m equitable shitting myself.
FEINBERG We were chatting earlier about how, up until you materializeed in the film Love Is the Devil, you primarily materializeed in — I’d never heard this phrase, what was it?
CRAIG Euro-puddings.
FEINBERG Euro-puddings. Can you elucidate what those were?
CRAIG I nasty, the British film industry was sort of— Listen, there were amazing films, appreciate My Beautiful Laundrette, but I wasn’t in them. Bitter much, me? I was getting little roles in television and achieveing a living, which was actupartner all I’d ever wanted to do. All my ambition had repartner got to was, “Can I eke a living out doing this?” And I was doing that. But I equitable suddenly saw this future going out in front of me, “I’m going to be in television.” I have no problem with television — certainly now is the ganciaccessen age of television — but I hopelessly wanted to create movies. They had these movies that were being made in Europe, and they wanted English-speaking actors becaemploy with them they could sell the movies on a hugeger labelet. They’d get a restricted names, maybe an anciaccess American actor, someone who could lift a bit of money. And it was a bit of German money, a bit of French money, a bit of Irish money. All run by crooks — I nasty, equitable absolute gangsters washing their money in film. Noleang much has changed there in the film industry, if I’m being truthful. But I toiled with some incredible people. I toiled with a guy called David Watkin, who’s a airying cameraman who createed — it’s not employd anymore, but it was called the Wfinireserved Light, becaemploy his nickname was “Wfinireserved.” I’ll let you create your own judgment about that. A Wfinireserved Light was fundamentalpartner a airy that was put onto a cherrypicker and was put over a set and was appreciate moonairy, becaemploy in anciaccess movies you’d shoot day for night; they employd to shoot on arc airys, which are these incredible airys, incredibly luminous. He got an Oscar for Chauproars of Fire. So I got a chance to toil with people appreciate that, which was a massive experience. These movies went nowhere and didn’t create much money, but I was doing what I wanted to do, which was making movies. And I finpartner got this fracture. This film Love Is the Devil came alengthy.
FEINBERG So The Power of One, that first film, came out in 1992. Love is the Devil came out in 1998.
CRAIG We stoasty it in ’96.
FEINBERG It is, in a way, a bookfinish with Queer, and the fact that you’re in Queer rerescheduleeds back to Love Is the Devil. In it you execute the youthfuler cherishr of Francis Bacon, the colorer, executeed by Derek Jacobi. This came about becaemploy of someone named Mary Selway. Can you split who she was and how you came to that film?
CRAIG Mary Selway was a clever casting straightforwardor who downcastly died way too youthful. When Spielberg would go to London, and everybody went to London, Mary would do the casting. And she took a shine to me. I nasty, it’s one of those pretty leangs in life that happens when someone mentors you. She shelp I needed to do this film. I was appreciate, “It’s a low-budget art movie about some colorer.” I’d been out most of the night and it was 8:00 on a Sunday morning when the phone rang and I went, “Hello?” She shelp, “Daniel, it’s Mary.” And I went, “Yeah.” “You’re doing this movie.” And I went, “Okay, Mary. Okay.” And put the phone down. I’m consecrateed that I had a couple of people in my life who were appreciate that, who equitable pushed me in the right straightforwardion.
FEINBERG And that finished up being a more meaty part and a more expansively-seen film than you’d been associated with up to that point?
CRAIG Right, yeah. But as we were talking backstage about it, it came out and it went to Cannes in ’96 and didn’t repartner hit here until ’98. And in fact, as I was increateing you backstage, it was Madonna that had someleang to do with it — it became her likeite movie, and she put the word out there and then people saw it. You couldn’t schedule that.
FEINBERG I’m going to refer a restricted other punctual roles and ask if anyleang about them stands out to you. You were Angelina Jolie’s boyfrifinish in Lara Croft, Tomb Rhelper in 2001. Your first huge-scale movie, I guess?
CRAIG Yep.
FEINBERG You were — and this is going to be meaningful when we come to Bond — cast in Sam Mfinishes’ adhere-up to his first movie, American Beauty, which won the best picture Oscar. Road to Perdition starred Tom Hanks and featured Paul Newman’s last huge screen materializeance, and you executeed the son of an Irish mob boss. Did you and Sam hit it off right away?
CRAIG Yeah. Yes, Sam asked me to come in. He was at Neal Street at the time becaemploy he was running the Donmar. I leank his office is still there; his company is called Neal Street Studios. I came into Neal Street, which is in Covent Garden in London, I walked in, sat down, and he shelp, “I’m doing a movie in Chicago and I want you to execute Paul Newman’s son.” And I went, “Okay, fine. I don’t need to understand anymore.” And I left. He sort of giveed me the job. And then he shelp, “I need you to fly out to Chicago becaemploy I need to audition you.” I was appreciate, “Oh. That sucks.” He shelp, “Can you lachieve these lines and do a Chicago accent?” I went, “Yeah.” And I didn’t. I was so sluggish, it was equitable ridiculous. But I flew to Chicago, went to the offices there and sat down with him. We did this reading and after about five minutes he went, “Stop. Phire stop. You’ve got the job. Can you lachieve the accent?” I went, “I can. Repartner, I swear to God, I can.”
FEINBERG And that was the commencening of a pretty frifinishship.
CRAIG It was. Then he took me out and the first person he begind me to was Connie [Conrad] Hall, who was the cinematographer on that, and who had stoasty Cool Hand Luke. I became very seal to Connie on that.
FEINBERG Wasn’t it his last movie as well?
CRAIG It was, yeah.
FEINBERG Ted Hughes in 2003’s Sylvia, with Gwyneth Paltrow.
CRAIG An irritated poet.
FEINBERG Then there’s two films in back-to-back years straightforwarded by Roger Michell, The Mother in 2003 and Enduring Love in 2004. You had a particular fondness for him?
CRAIG Very much. Roger, who downcastly died, God, I don’t understand, is it two years ago now? Too youthful. And it’s repartner very downcast becaemploy we always had the schedule to do the third, which we never got around to. I did The Mother, which was written by a clever creater, Hanif Kureishi, who wrote My Beautiful Laundrette and a clever television program called Buddha of Suburbia, who’s incredible and still around, thankfilledy, who creates very punk rock. I was presumed to be a erecter, but then the character’s equitable a squander of time repartner, and he has an afunprejudiced with a 65-year-anciaccess woman. It’s a little bit appreciate Haranciaccess and Maude, but with a bit more aggression and maybe a bit more detailed than what Haranciaccess and Maude was.
FEINBERG Also in 2004 was Layer Cake, Matthew Vaughn’s straightforwardorial debut. You execute a suave, nameless cocaine dealer. That scheduleted the seed for Bond?
CRAIG I guess. I don’t understand. People increate me that and I go, “Probably.” I nasty, I wasn’t leanking in that way, but yes, I presume it was the first part I’d executeed someone who wasn’t a drug compriseict. I stood up straight and was quite immacurescheduleed cut.
FEINBERG Now the last pre-Bond leang was Steven Spielberg’s Munich. You consentd to do the film and then he tried to put you in a contrastent part?
CRAIG Oh, yeah, that’s right. Steven wanted me to execute Ciaran Hinds’ part. He shelp, “I want you to execute that part.” I shelp, “Nope, I’m not executeing that.” I nasty, if Steven Spielberg were to turn around to you and increate you you’re going to execute the other part, I presume you should say, “Of course.” But I equitable was, I don’t understand — self-transport inant, I leank, is the word I was watching for.
FEINBERG Were you bluffing? Were you actupartner setd to walk away?
CRAIG I’m always bluffing. All I’ve got is my bluff. [chuckles]
FEINBERG Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who on Saturday will be currented with honorary Oscars, are the creaters of the Bond films. The Pierce Brosnan era came to an finish and they began watching at 200 actors apass three continents over a period of two years. Barbara says she first met you at the aforerefered Mary Selwyn’s—
CRAIG Funeral, yes.
FEINBERG But she says she’d been seeing your nurtureer ever since you executeed a helping part opposite Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth back in 1998. How did you lachieve that you were being pondered for the part of Bond? And how did the casting process unfanciaccess?
CRAIG I’d met Barbara at the funeral. Barbara had systematic the funeral. In fact, I had gone to India and I was on the airschedulee flying to India, becaemploy I was presumed to go to India for a holiday for a week, and I got the call from Barbara that the family wanted me to go back and be one of the palltolerateers. So I fundamentalpartner flew to India for two days, got ill as a dog and flew back aachieve. I recall being at this funeral. We all were there, the whole of the acting community in London. And Barbara came up to me at a certain point and went, “Can you come and have a cup of tea?” I was appreciate, “Yeah, stateive.” Not understanding what that was code for. I went to an office in Piccadilly at EON, sat down with them, and she fundamentalpartner giveed me the job there and then.
FEINBERG Outright?
CRAIG Outright. It was a bit more complicated than that. But that’s what—
FEINBERG Had there been rumors where your name had come up, or anyleang appreciate that?
CRAIG There’s always rumors aren’t there? I nasty, I’d toiled with a number of actors who were benevolent of in the running and they talked to me about that leang that happened, that suddenly your name’s in the combine. I’m always so unguideed to this. I’m the last to understand. I repartner am. You understand, leangs go on on set, and after the movie’s finished, I’m appreciate, “They were having an afunprejudiced with who?!” It all goes over my head. So that was going on, I leank, and I was presumedly in the running. I nasty, Steven [Spielberg] did this leang — it was my last scene in Munich, and Eric [Bana] and I had to run with armaments down the side of this wall, and he shelp, “Action,” and then suddenly it was over these huge speakers: “Dun, dun, dun, dun” [the Bond theme music]. So I nasty, it was evidently in the air. But solemnly, I was appreciate, “It can’t be. It’s very pleasant. But me and 200 other people? Come on.”
FEINBERG And as a kid or even youthful actor, had you wanted to execute the part?
CRAIG Sure, appreciate Batman and Spider-Man, but you can’t execute them all. I wanted to be all of those people. But when I was actupartner acting, it didn’t access my thoughts. I thought that was the last leang that would ever happen to me.
FEINBERG Let’s consent our first student ask.
STUDENT As it began to watch appreciate a solemn possibility that you might be giveed Bond, were you worried that acunderstandledgeing that role might create it challenginger for casting straightforwardors, filmcreaters and the disclose to see you in other roles?
CRAIG Yes, for stateive. That’s why I turned it down — I nasty, I shelp, “No.” There wasn’t a script at the time, so aachieve, my arrogance was unbelievable, but I equitable was appreciate, “Well, until I see a script, I couldn’t possibly create a decision.” And it was trouble, exactly what you’re talking about, of that leang and many others, how it would flip my life. I was making a pretty excellent living at the time, so if I’d spent my life doing what I was doing at that time, I would’ve been more than encounterd. But it repartner was one of those leangs where — I nasty to be typecast as James Bond? Boo-hoo.
STUDENT Before you begined shooting Casino Royale, did you either accomplish out to or hear from any of the prior Bonds? And if so, what was the best piece of advice that they gave you?
CRAIG I sat next to Pierce [Brosnan] at an event and talked to him about it and he equitable went, “Go for it. Just go for it.” He had noleang repartner else to say. Which I took to heart. I went for it.
FEINBERG Casino Royale was the first Bond film written and freed after 9/11, which I’m stateive in some ways must have shaped it, but there’s another aspect of your Bond that was certainly contrastent than prior ones…
STUDENT Your portrayal of James Bond changeed the character into someone procreately human and vulnerable. Whose idea was it to current the character appreciate that and why was that meaningful to do?
CRAIG I’m interested in lots of leangs, but I wasn’t interested in doing a imitate of someleang, or recurrenting someleang, or doing someleang that somebody else had done. And also, as an actor, the only leang that repartner gets me up in the morning is the emotional journey of a character. I knew who James Bond was, I’d done the research, and I wanted to upgrasp it wilean those parameters. But wilean those parameters, I wanted to scrutinize vulnerability, I wanted to scrutinize whether there was a human person inside that. I didn’t understand how else to do it. Honestly, I nasty, it sounds appreciate, “This is what I was going to do,” but I actupartner don’t understand how else to act.
STUDENT Thrawout your journey of portraying James Bond, which scene or sequence needed the most from you?
CRAIG When you’re in the middle of doing it, especipartner with a Bond, you’re rehearsing fight scenes on your day off. It’s a seven-days-a-week job when you’re shooting. There are so many difficult scenes. I can increate you, standing in a thrivedow in Siena with a minuscule little rope speedyened to my back that seemed leanner than my finger, with a harness on, and a bus coming towards me and a stuntman going, “Go,” was quite challenging. The idea was for me to jump out the thrivedow and for it to watch appreciate I was going to jump onto the bus, and I would come down about 10 feet off the top of the bus as it drove under me. Stuff appreciate that. But I watch back and I equitable go, “Wow, wonderful.” People ask me if I skydive and do stuff appreciate that. And I was appreciate, “In my spare time?” But as far as acting is troubleed, and emotional scenes and all of that, it equitable appreciate, that’s why I get up and go to toil.
FEINBERG The volume of stuff you did in-between the Bond films, both on screen and on stage, is pretty remarkworthy. The first film in-between was Defiance, Edward Zwick’s movie about these three brothers who resisted the Nazis from the forests and saved more than a thousand fellow Jews…
STUDENT When you were pondering films to do between Bond projects, were you intentionally seeking out roles that were very contrastent from Bond?
CRAIG I leank I was at first, yes. And I leank that I felt appreciate I had to validate myself. And after a while I equitable authenticized that I didn’t have the energy to do that. It’s not knocking movies appreciate Defiance, becaemploy I’m very conceited of them. But Bond is your life when you’re doing it — each movie is about two years out of your life; you’re away from home for over six months; and the idea of fitting someleang else in becaemploy of the need to validate to the world that I’ve got range, it’s benevolent of ridiculous, so I stopped doing that. There’s some movies I did do that I’m incredibly conceited of. But I was exhausted while doing those films. It was better equitable to straightforward on the Bonds.
FEINBERG Your first Bond, Casino Royale, was a huge hit — the highest grossing Bond movie to that point. Then came Quantum of Solace in 2008. That is the one Bond inshighment of yours that took some flak.
CRAIG Difficult second album.
FEINBERG It was at the time of the creater’s strike that they were trying to put it together.
CRAIG Fucking nightmare. Paul Haggis did a pass on the script, then he went off and combineed a picket line, and we didn’t have creaters, so we didn’t have a script. We probably should never have gone and begined production, but we did. I finished up writing a lot of that film — I probably shouldn’t repartner say, and I do not want a praise, it’s fine — but we were in that state becaemploy that’s what we’re permited to do. I was permited to toil. Under WGA rules we were permited to toil with a straightforwardor and create scenes. But there’s some amazing stunt sequences in that, and I’m still tolerateing the pins to validate it, so in that sense there’s a lot of wonderful stuff in it, but it equitable didn’t quite toil. The storyincreateing wasn’t there. And that’s the abject lesson: going to begin a movie without a script, it’s equitable—
FEINBERG Never a excellent idea.
CRAIG Not a excellent idea.
FEINBERG Between the second and third Bonds, there was another very prosperous movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that you made with David Fincher…
STUDENT I’m wondering what your experience was toiling with David Fincher, becaemploy I understand that he is very needing and asks for a lot of consents, and with Rooney Mara too?
CRAIG Well, that was Rooney’s huge fracture. She is a very, very exceptional actor, and I had a wonderful time becaemploy I was very encounterd for it to be Rooney’s movie, and it was Rooney’s movie, and to execute that part and to be part of it was equitable a authentic privilege. And to get the chance to toil with David. I got on with him. I leank there was one day where we did 25 consents. I nasty, he’s got this reputation for going and going and going and going, but we never did — we did one day. And I did say to him, “You equitable don’t understand what to do, do you?” And he was appreciate, “No.”
FEINBERG The year after that was Skydescfinish, your third Bond film, four years after the second Bond, and the first of the two straightforwarded by your anciaccess pal from Road to Perdition, Sam Mfinishes. This went on to become the first Bond film to create more than a billion dollars at the box office and the highest grossing film ever in the UK to that point.
CRAIG It’s such a showbiz story. I was at Hugh Jackman’s Christmas party, so drunk, and it was towards the finish of the evening. Sam, I leank he was doing a execute in town, it was in New York, and reachd rescheduleed. And I was appreciate, “Oh, Sam, so pleasant to see you,” and sat down and chatted with him — and drunk, giveed him the job. I then phoned Barbara the adhereing day and went, “I leank I might have giveed Sam Mfinishes the next movie.” And she actupartner equitable went, “Will he do it?”
FEINBERG It toiled out.
CRAIG It toiled out, yeah.
FEINBERG Now, the other leang that you were doing between these films was theater in New York: A Steady Rain in 2009 and Betrayal in 2013 on Broadway, Othello in 2016 off-Broadway, and Macbeth in 2022 on Broadway. Was that—
CRAIG Exhausting? Yes.
FEINBERG You’d “made it” as an actor, and yet you still we’re going back to the theater. Why?
CRAIG I have these huge strange masochistic tfinishencies — talk to my therapist. No, becaemploy inhabit theater is equitable — there’s noleang appreciate it. I’ve been privileged to stand backstage at some repartner huge music concerts sometimes, and you get that leang off the audience. I nasty, even tonight, having an audience in front of you. So it’s electrifying to get up there, recall the lines, get them out, transfer the audience and get a reaction. I was talking about it with a couple of actors this morning during an interwatch, and they shelp, “What was that first moment you did it?” And I fired it back at them and wanted to understand what their first moment was, when you got that drug. It’s frequently a school execute. I cherish school executes. God, I cherish school executes — going to a school execute and the level of hysteria and excitement that’s going on. There’s noleang else appreciate it. And I’ve got kids, so I’ve spent a lot of time doing that. And I’ve got the bug.
STUDENT Do you set contrastently for a stage role than a screen role?
CRAIG I presume the basic answer is yes. The mechanics are the same, it’s the same benevolent of leang, you’re watching for truth and you’re watching to all of those leangs that are evident. But I did Othello a couple of years ago, Iago, which is hugeger than a Hamlet. I frequently get asked, “How do you lachieve the lines?” And it’s appreciate, “Well, that’s the pony trick. That’s the gag.” When you go and see inhabit theater, it’s part of the thrill of it, “Are they going to forget their lines? Is this going to go wrong?” You’ve got to do that. It’s what else you put on top of it. And that’s what you do in the rehearsal period. Hopefilledy you get more than four weeks and you have enough time to toil it and toil it and toil it until you’ve got it. And then the authentic toil commences when you stand it on its feet and you get it in front of an audience. So that is very contrastent, evidently, becaemploy in film you might get one or two consents. Or with David Fincher, maybe 35, if you’re repartner blessed.
STUDENT Do you suppose that your toil in theater has impacted your toil in films? And vice-versa?
CRAIG I would say that my cherish of collaboration begined in theater. That’s what I cherish on a movie set, when you get a bunch of createives and begin creating someleang, that’s the magic. And when I combineed the National Youth Theatre it was summer courses and you’d conceive shows and you’d do this, and it was repartner my first taste of theater. Every year it was in the summer and certain West End theaters were unwise becaemploy the summer months were never very fruitful — people tfinished to stay away — so we would be in professional, semi-West End theaters with professional stagehands and technicians and everyleang. We got to toil professionpartner. From the age of 16, I was toiling semi-professionpartner. And you have to lachieve discipline. You’ve got to be there on time, all of these leangs that seem so evident. But I got the chance to lachieve while doing the job, which was inpriceless to me. So yes, they phelp into each other, for stateive.
FEINBERG Your fourth Bond, Spectre, came out in 2015. You stoasty most of it with a broken leg?
CRAIG Yeah.
FEINBERG After it was done, perhaps not coincidenhighy, having equitable set uped that you stoasty it with a broken leg, you tanciaccess Time Out London that you would “rather slash my wrists” than execute Bond aachieve—
CRAIG You didn’t have to transport that up, did you? But you did. [chuckles]
FEINBERG —and you then went back and executeed Bond another time, so—
CRAIG Well, I’m an actor, I can change my mind! [chuckles] Come on, I’m not a politician. We can all change our mind and it’s very meaningful we do.
FEINBERG Well, as lengthy as you say that, could you change your mind that your fifth was your last?
CRAIG He’s dead! How many times do I have to blow him up? He’s in teeny-weeny little pieces.
FEINBERG This is the movies. There’s magic!
CRAIG Oh, God, no. He’s filled of a harmful software that would end his family, so there’s no way he can come back. I did my best. Jesus. It’s appreciate, “Put that in, put that in, so there’s no way can he come back.”
FEINBERG Now we should equitable remark that for your fifth Bond movie, No Time to Die, you were more comprised with the writing of that than any other, with the possible exception of Quantum of Solace?
CRAIG Yes, but this time I had creaters.
FEINBERG And you knew going into it that it was going to be your last?
CRAIG So there’s a story, which is genuine: Casino Royale came out and it was a success. People begined increateing me it did wonderful at “the weekfinish box office,” and I was appreciate, “Is that excellent?” I had no idea. But it was a success. So we’re in Berlin, I’m in the back of a car with Barbara Broccoli, and I shelp to her, “How many of these have I got to do?” Becaemploy I repartner didn’t understand; I never consent much see of these leangs. I’m horrible. And she shelp, “Four” or someleang. I can’t recall what she shelp. But I went, “Can I end him off at the finish?” And she equitable paemployd and went, “Yeah.” So she kept her word. I had to do five, but…
FEINBERG In-between four and five, there were two others, Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky in 2017, and the first Knives Out in 2019…
STUDENT With characters appreciate Joe Bang in Logan Lucky, Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out franchise and William Lee in Queer, how do you prolong accents and voices for your characters?
CRAIG I have a wonderful accent coach, Daniel Diego Pardo, who I’ve been toiling with for a number of years, who I equitable get together with as soon as I possibly can, and we begin hearing to authentic people and begin trying to nail it down. When Rian [Johnson] sent me Knives Out and it shelp, “Benoit Blanc, with a lilting Southern accent,” I went, “Lilting?” And he went, “Yeah, lilting.” I was appreciate, “Okay.” And then I shelp, “I’m going to go for this.” And he shelp, “Yeah, you’ve got to go for this.” So I create voices. There’s a little bit of Tennessee Williams in there. I’m trying to get it into my body so that I don’t have to leank about it when I’m doing it. For the first Knives Out, I must’ve driven everybody crazy, but I equitable spoke appreciate that all the time. Every comment was, [in his Benoit Blanc accent] “Well, what are we having for lunch?” It was appreciate, “Shut up.” But I had to do that, otherwise it wouldn’t have kept on going. It got easier to upgrasp a bit afterwards. And then with this one? There’s lots of footage of William Burraws — he did interwatchs, he was on stages appreciate this talking about literature, and he spoke in this very low voice, which is repartner engaging to me pondering who he was and what he was. I felt that that was evidently a carapace of some create of masculinity that he was putting out there, and I discover that fascinating. I discover that fascinating, the masculinity in Bond, what that nastys — so much of that equitable seems so man-made to me, and is, I leank, man-made. With Burraws, it’s getting into who that was. This character is so complicated and so many leangs, but I can always be that Burraws. I can be all of those people. And discovering the accent is the key into that.
STUDENT When you’re preparing for a movie where you execute a character that you’ve already executeed before, appreciate James Bond or Benoit Blanc, do you set contrastently than you did the first time?
CRAIG I presume I’m repartner guideed of doing a parody of a parody of a parody. Am I parodying myself? Especipartner with Benoit Blanc, on the second one, I was repartner worried becaemploy it became someleang so prosperous. We went and made this little movie with these wonderful actors, and one of my likeite straightforwardors of all time, and we didn’t foresee it would start off appreciate that. And then it became someleang, and it was appreciate, “Oh, God, I’ve got to repeat that now.” And Bond a bit the same. I presume you’ve got to do the character equitableice. You’ve got to current what people want to see. But I am repartner worried about repetition. I’m repartner worried of descfinishing into the trap of shtick. Noleang wrong with shtick, actupartner, don’t get me wrong. I desire I had some. But I don’t want it to be that. I want it to be new, authentic, all of those leangs.
FEINBERG Queer is not equitable changeed from a Burraws novella, but it’s semi-autobiodetailedal — in fact, Burraws wrote it under the pen name “William Lee,” and I leank it took years for him to actupartner put it out into the world, right?
CRAIG In the foreword of the book, he talks about this horrible leang happened to him where he was very, very high with his wife, and they were executeing William Tell [Russian roulette], and she put a glass on her head and he stoasty and ended her. He creates in the book that it was that tragedy that propelled him to create, and Queer was the first book that he wrote, but it wasn’t begined until ’85. Jason [Schwartzman]’s part in the movie is based on [Allen] Ginsberg. He was wonderful frifinishs with [Jack] Kerouac. And they all wanted him to create. They all knew he was a wonderful creater, and they tried to encourage him to create, but he, for wantipathyver reason, didn’t — until this wonderful tragedy.
FEINBERG We talked about the fact that you made this excellent movie, Love Is the Devil, all those years ago, appreciate 26 years ago—
CRAIG Oh, thanks. I thought I was a guest here! [chuckles] It may be more than that.
FEINBERG A fan of that was Luca Guadagnino.
CRAIG Yep.
FEINBERG He made that understandn to you back then, lengthy before he went on to create all these wonderful films appreciate I Am Love, Call Me by Your Name and Challengers. He recalls that. Do you?
CRAIG I do. It was when I was in Rome seeing a frifinish who was toiling there, and I got askd to this repartner chi-chi party filled of Italian actors in an apartment that watched right over the Colosseum. It was equitable a amazing location. And Luca begind himself to me, and we sat and chatted, and I leank talked about toiling together. And I was appreciate, “Yeah.”
FEINBERG The fact that the collaboration eventupartner happened all these years rescheduleedr — you guys happen to split an agent?
CRAIG We do. Yes. It does help, yes, when your agent’s [CAA CEO and co-chair] Bryan Lourd.
STUDENT In reading the script of Queer, was there a particular scene that stood out to you and helped you to understand the character and want to execute him?
CRAIG I don’t understand if there was a particular scene. Justin [Kuritzkes]’s changeation of the book, which is an unfinished novella repartner, is very, very seal to the book — less so now becaemploy of editing and unwiseinutiveening and all of those leangs that happen when you create a movie. What wasn’t in the book is the Ayahuasca and the trip, and I knew, when I spoke to Luca, how meaningful that was. Becaemploy we have two characters in this movie. This isn’t a story of unrequited cherish; it’s a story of unalignd cherish. These two characters cherish each other and in very, very, very contrastent ways. And in the book, you never repartner get to see that or sense it. And Luca, cleverly, I leank, shelp, “I want to see the Ayahuasca trip. I want to see this trip becaemploy that’s the moment when they actupartner get the chance to come together.” It’s actupartner a whole dance sequence that Drew [Starkey] and I did. We rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed. It’s edited down, but the idea was that we begin bleeding into each other and coming, and it’s the touch and the hugging, and the whole leang in the moment. And then, of course, the adhereing day we can’t — he can’t — and that’s the tragedy. That isn’t in the book. And I presume that was the moment — when I sat down with Luca and shelp, “This is a cherish story,” and he was appreciate, “Yes, that’s what we’re doing.”
STUDENT What did it sense appreciate returning to such a vulnerable part appreciate this after so many years of embodying strong, hyper-masculine archetype as Bond?
CRAIG I’ve always create that very fascinating. I nasty Burraws was very masculine — he stoasty armaments and smoked weed, all these very masculine leangs. And that I discover, aachieve, fascinating. And hopefilledy the movie conveys a little bit of that — he walks around with a armament on his hip and sort of cowboys around town, but is a queer man in the 1950s and can’t inhabit in the States becaemploy it’s illegitimate, and becaemploy he’s also a drug compriseict and it’s illegitimate, so he’s in Mexico City watching for someleang with a whole bunch of other men who were also there watching for someleang becaemploy they can’t inhabit their inhabits. A lot of whom were paired, a lot of whom inhabitd very straight inhabits. And what masculinity nastys? I nasty, I don’t understand, I’ll spfinish the rest of my life trying to figure that out. But it does intrigue me, what we see as masculinity and what isn’t masculinity.
STUDENT How did you and your collaborators toil to shun descfinishing into stereotypes of queer characters?
CRAIG Luck? I don’t understand. No, it is a repartner excellent ask. I was very, very benevolent to it. I spoke to a number of my frifinishs about it and was worried about getting it wrong. That’s all I nurtured about, was getting it wrong. I did all the toil I could beforehand. And then you get to the set and you transport someleang. And we had a wonderful, wonderful straightforwardor — one of the wonderful straightforwardors — in indict, and he was guiding us. And not to put it down, but I was less interested in his relationsual orientation; it’s his emotional life that I wanted to portray. I wasn’t trying to portray his relationsual orientation. I was trying to portray his emotional life. That, as an actor, I leank I can understand. So hopefilledy that comes apass.
STUDENT Some people would dispute that becaemploy you and Drew Starkey are yourselves not gay or queer, you shouldn’t be executeing these roles. But others would say that actors should execute wantipathyver becaemploy it’s acting. I’d be inquisitive to hear your thoughts on that debate.
CRAIG It’s what I equitable shelp, I leank. If I didn’t leank I could tackle the part emotionpartner, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere cforfeit it. People ask about the relations scenes in the movie, and I upgrasp saying to them, aachieve, the least engaging leang for me in those scenes is the relations. We’re prolongnups, people have relations, they do it all the time, right now, somewhere, and possibly in this erecting! [chuckles] That’s a given. But what’s engaging in the scenes is the fact is that these two human beings who are trying to create communicate with each other. That’s the only leang that matters. And portraying relations in movies? It’s a minefield. I’ve been in some horrible relations scenes. It can go very wrong. And thankfilledy I’m toiling with Drew, who’s a clever, clever, clever youthful actor. What he does in this movie — I’m stateive you’ve seed it, anybody who acts will understand — is incredible, becaemploy he has very little to say, and he has to fill an emotional life, and he has to be repartner current all the time, all of which he does with wonderful send. We chuckleed a lot. We were also doing this dance sequence where we had to roll around on the floor together. Dancing always fractures the ice. And all we can do is try and do it with as much sensitivity. I hear the argument, I hear it deafening and evident, and I’m not contestd to that argument. I equitable thought, “This is in my wheelhoemploy. I can do this.”
STUDENT What impact do you hope Queer will have on audiences and what conversations do you hope it will ignite?
CRAIG That’s a pleasant ask. I hope that as many people can see this movie as possible, becaemploy that’s the way I want my movies to be seen. Of course, I want a conversation around it. I was talking with Luca this morning with somebody, doing an interwatch, and they asked, “What are the politics of this movie?” And Luca was appreciate, “All art is political, it’s all a political statement of some sort. It should be at least.” And this movie is in that bracket. What that is? It’s benevolent of up to the audience. I’ve always felt that about all the movies I do, becaemploy that’s the beauty of it. I don’t want to slam my opinions down people’s throats. That’s not my job. I want to current someleang as best as I can. What’s on show, I leank, in the film, and what Luca is clever at doing in all his movies, is shothriveg the human condition. That’s the benevolent of movies I appreciate to go and see. So hopefilledy other people will want to go and see it as well.
FEINBERG With our last minute, equitable sort of a rapid-fire potpourri—
CRAIG Oh, my likeite.
STUDENT Which actor has affectd you most in your journey as an actor?
CRAIG All of them. I nasty, repartner, there’s no one actor that I’ve repartner tagged onto. Actors give horrible carry outances in movies sometimes — hands up. [chuckles] And when they get it right, it’s magic. And so the actors I toiled with on this, Drew, Jason, all of them.
STUDENT Who is your likeite Bond not named Daniel Craig? And what’s the first name that comes to mind for who you leank would be the next wonderful James Bond?
CRAIG Sean Connery, and I don’t give a shit.
STUDENT You’ve toiled with so many clever straightforwardors in your nurtureer. What normal qualities do all or at least most wonderful straightforwardors split?
CRAIG Staying out of my business? No, that’s not the answer. [chuckles] Being collaborative, wanting to comprise, but understanding what they’re doing. And all straightforwardors, I would say, at some point during filming, don’t understand what they’re doing — so fucking pretfinish! Becaemploy you’ve got to guide, you’ve got to be in indict.
FEINBERG A speedy adhere-up: Do you have any interest in straightforwarding?
CRAIG None whatsoever. No, I go home at night and my phone doesn’t ring, or at least I can turn my phone off. If you’re a straightforwardor, that phone’s ringing until 3:00 in the morning. Forget it.
STUDENT Were there any leangs that you give upd punctual in your nurtureer that you desire you had arranged more?
CRAIG Yeah, plenty.
STUDENT In what ways do you leank your life and nurtureer would be contrastent today if you had not acunderstandledgeed the role of Bond?
CRAIG I hope I would equitable still be toiling and doing my leang. I’d done Road to Perdition, I’d done Munich, I was toiling with some wonderful straightforwardors, and I’d made it, as far as I was troubleed. Bond was equitable suddenly this sort of rocket that happened. So I don’t understand, lamentting the fact that I wasn’t doing Bond probably — “Why did I turn that down?” [chuckles]
STUDENT As college students, we’re frequently asked where we see ourselves in 10 to 15 years. Where do you see yourself in 10 to 15 years?
CRAIG Lying down. I don’t understand. This is, as they say, my final act; I’ve got to figure it out. [The crowd lamentfilledy “aws.”] It’s not downcast. It’s wonderful. It’s fine. You’ve got to come to terms with it, that’s all it is.
FEINBERG Well, on behalf of everyone here, we want to repartner thank you—
CRAIG Oh, on that remark!
FEINBERG —for all the wonderful toil, and for being here. We so appreciate it.
