Daniel Craig has shared his concerns about being typecast after portraying James Bond. Craig participated in a special episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatterpodcast, recorded at Chapman University in Orange County. He answered questions about his life, career, and his latest film Queer from an audience of 500 students.
One of the students inquired if Craig felt anxious about being typecast in the future when he took on the role of James Bond. “Absolutely. That’s why I initially declined — I actually said, ‘No’,” he explained. “There was no script available at the time, so once again, my arrogance was astounding, but I insisted, ‘Without a script, I can’t make a decision.’ And it was fear, precisely what you’re mentioning, about that and many other things, and how it would change my life.
“I was earning quite well at the time, so if I had continued doing what I was doing then, I would have been more than satisfied. But it was one of those situations where — being typecast as James Bond? Boo-hoo.” Craig portrayed Bond in five films – Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).
Last month, he confessed he wasn’t concerned about who would take over as 007 – Variety recently inquired, “If you were to pass the James Bond torch, who would you love to see play him?” and he responded, ‘I don’t care.'”

Meanwhile, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer features Craig as William Lee, an American expatriate in Mexico City, who spends his time frequenting gay bars and meeting young men, along with interacting with other members of a small homosexual expatriate community. He then embarks on a romantic relationship with the American student Eugene Allerton.
In a four-star review of the film, NME commented: “Craig delivers one of his finest performances as Lee, imbuing him with a tangible world-weariness and making you feel every moment of hope, desire, ecstasy, and crushing disappointment. Starkey is also excellent, creating strong chemistry with Craig, but the standout supporting roles are jointly taken by a portly Jason Schwartzman (as fellow homosexual expatriate Joe Guidry) and Britain’s own Leslie Manville, whose makeup as jungle botanist Dr. Cotter is astonishing.”