Maybe stop asking Daniel Craig about James Bond

Once you are James Bond, it follows you forever. And I think maybe we should stop talking to Daniel Craig about it. Craig starred as the 00′ agent from 2006 until the release of No Time to Die in 2021. Now, people are still asking his input on the franchise.

He made history with his time as Bond, cementing himself as the longest serving James Bond actor. But that doesn’t mean that Craig is only Bond. Craig has gone on to start his own franchise with director and writer Rian Johnson as Detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out films. He’s been done with Bond now for three years. So why is he being asked about it still?

He currently stars in the Luca Guadagnino film Queer based on the novel by William S. Burroughs. During an interview with co-star Drew Starkey, Variety asked Craig about the role. They said if he had to pass the torch to another actor, who would he want to see take on James Bond. Craig’s response? “I don’t care.”

I understand the response. If he entertained the question, every outlet on the face of the planet would ask him why he chose that actor. But if he shuts down the question with a trade publication? It shows others that asking him about this isn’t going to get the response you want.

I wish we’d stop doing this anyway

Interviews are a difficult game to play. You want the viral moment that people will write up and link back to you on but you also want to make the best use of your time. Trust me, I know the game well. But one thing that really just upsets me about junket interviews today is the need to bring up other properties as a way to get a news clip.

Any “exclusive” I have ever gotten in an interview has been rooted in me sharing my love of something. I try to keep all my questions focused on the movie at hand and maybe, at the end, talk about something from their career I love. While I recognize I have a privilege other outlets and their interviewers might not have, I do hate that the default is to mainly ask questions that have nothing to do with what is being promoted.

Craig shutting down the speculation or the line of questioning by simply saying he “doesn’t care” is brilliant. I hope that this shows people that he won’t answer questions about James Bond in the future and maybe we will have an actual press tour that is focused on the project he’s talking about!