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Daniel Craig: I’d rather slash my wrists than play James Bond again

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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There have been many articles speculating about who would portray the next James Bond, and now the current renowned superspy has weighed in on the subject.

Daniel Craig, the British actor who will reprise his role as James Bond in “Spectre,” which will be published later this month, told an interviewer that he would rather slit his wrists than reprise his role as 007 again.

The actor told Time Out magazine that he wanted to’move on’ from the Bond brand, claiming that he would only do another Bond film for the money.

When asked whether he’d want to reprise the part, he answered, ‘I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists,’ adding, ‘No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.’

EXCERTS [via Time Out London]

Do you care who plays Bond after you?

Look, I don’t give a f–k. Good luck to them! All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we’ve left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that’s all.

You won’t be backseat-driving then?

Oh Christ, no. How f–king sad would that be? “Oh look, it’s Daniel Craig, he’s on set again!” No!

If an actor was offered Bond and came to you looking for advice, what would you say to him — or her?

Literally I’d say two things. Firstly, it’s your decision. Don’t listen to anybody else. Well, do listen to everybody, but you have to make the choice at the end of the day. It’s your bed to lie on. And don’t be s–t! Don’t be s–t. You’ve got to step up. People do not make movies like this any more. This is really rare now. So don’t be s–t.

Craig offered a little disclaimer, noting that this was his opinion for “at least a year or two.” “I don’t know what the next step is. I’ve no idea. Not because I’m trying to be cagey. Who the fuck knows? At the moment, we’ve done it. I’m not in discussion with anybody about anything. If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.”

Craig said that living up to Bond’s reputation is difficult, and that he had put all into the current film.

“Every idea I’ve had for a Bond movie, I’ve stuck into this one. It’s gone in. The Bond bank is dry. If you’re asking me what would I do with another Bond movie? I haven’t a clue. Go into space? Let’s do it! They already did it. Let’s do it again.”

It’s worth remembering, however, that Craig just said last month that he would stay in the role “as long as I’m physically able.”

Before his debut in Casino Royale in 2006, Craig was seen as a rather risky option for Bond, with some seeing him as insufficiently debonair and arched-eyebrowed, even too blond. But his harder, more violent take on the rebooted character has been a huge hit, with Craig’s third film, Skyfall, being the highest-grossing Bond picture of all time in 2012.

Craig added in the Time Out interview that he and Sam Mendes, the director of Skyfall and Spectre, “butted heads a lot” shooting the first film but have since become great friends. Craig stated that he helped write parts of the screenplay for Spectre.

“The way it works is that I’d wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and write it down and send it to Sam and he ignores me or doesn’t ignore me, or talks to me the following morning and we develop it from there,” Craig said. “So I’m not physically writing things down.”

“Spectre” will be released on October 26 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and in early November in the rest of the globe.