The name was Bond, James Bond.
Daniel Craig has revealed why he appreciates his acting career even more since quitting the hit 007 franchise four years ago.
“I suppose I started freeing myself up from any convention,” the Knives Out star, 57, told UK magazine Radio Times during an interview published on Tuesday.
“I’m not saying no to things that I might have been a little bit wary about before.”
“When the Bond thing was going on in my life, the juxtaposition between that and another role would sometimes feel self-conscious,” he added, reports the New York Post.
But while Craig has turned in his licence to kill, that doesn’t mean the beloved actor isn’t keeping himself busy with other roles.
“I’m working harder than I ever have, but I’m also just enjoying it more than I ever have,” he admitted. “I get to do really interesting, different stuff”.
Craig first picked up the Walther PPK and stepped into the iconic role of Bond in 2006 for Casino Royale.
He remained as the titular secret agent for four more movies across 15 years before retiring from the part after the release of No Time to Die in 2021.
The actor previously opened up about how playing Bond left him “empty,” despite the immense fame and popularity it brought him.
“Early on with Bond I thought I had to do other work, but I didn’t,” Craig told The Sunday Times last year. “I was becoming a star, whatever that means, and people wanted me in their films. Incredible”.
“Most actors are out of work for large chunks, so you take your job offers – but they left me empty,” he added. “Then, bottom line, I got paid”.
Craig went on to reveal that the gruelling 007 role also affected his mental health.
“I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond that it would take me six months to recover emotionally,” Craig shared. “I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out”.
More recently, Craig shared his thoughts about Amazon taking over control of the Bond franchise from longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.
The surprising news was announced back in February, and the Skyfall star was neither shaken nor stirred by the development.
“My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished,” Craig said at the time.
“I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well-deserved) retirement, and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them,” the Spectre star added.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
