Mark Strong Praises How Daniel Craig Handled James Bond Fame

Actor Mark Strong recently shared his thoughts on commemorating James Bond star, Daniel Craig, for handling the fame of such an important role so well. First announced as the most recent actor to take on the internationally renowned role in 2005, Craig has now had his final outing as Bond in this year’s No Time to Die. The actor appeared in a total of five films as the character, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and finally, this year’s blockbuster.

No Time Die saw Bond return from retirement and be recruited into the CIA in order to track down a kidnapped scientist, leading him to face off with the new mysterious and deadly villain, Lyutsifer Safin. The film stars Craig in the titular role, Léa Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann, Rami Malek as Lysutifer Safin, Lashana Lynch as Nomi, Ben Wishaw as Q, Naomi Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, and Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. No Time to Die was released on September 28 and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year, allowing Craig a positive exit from the role.

In an interview with The Guardian, Strong not only detailed his own audition for a role of his own within the Bond franchise but also put forward his praises for how Craig has managed the Bond fame. He acknowledges the heavy amount of pressure that comes with such a famed role and applauds Craig for how “brilliantly” he’s handled it. Read Strong’s full quote below:

Craig handled himself absolutely brilliantly. But there’s no denying that when you are plucked from being a very cool working actor – and he was doing some great indie movies – and given a role that is universally recognised in a massive franchise, the pressure is enormous. You think you want fame; you get on these shows, you get noticed, and then the brutal eye of the world’s attention can be really detrimental.

Furthermore, Strong detailed how both he and Craig, long before his days as James Bond, went out drinking together on the night before Strong’s audition for the villain opposite Pierce Brosnan’s 007. He explained how, unfortunately, he ended up drinking too much without learning his lines. This resulted in him losing out on a role within the franchise, only for Craig to land the lead role years later.

Strong’s comments come after previous reports directly from Craig surfaced about him feeling greatly under pressure from the amount of fame he gained from portraying the globally-renowned role. In the past, the actor commented on how his personal life had begun to be dragged down by the level of fame he had gained, even locking himself in and closing out the outside world. He later revealed that he had to receive support from fellow actor, Hugh Jackman, who eventually helped him come to terms with his newfound life.

Strong’s words also now solidify that even though it may not have seemed it, Craig was able to deal with and greatly adapt to the effects fame had on his life overall. These revelations can also come as a great comfort to any new actor who may be taking on the Bond role in the future as it has greatly shown the support system that people within the entertainment industry have for each other. Audiences must now wait in anticipation, shortly after the release of No Time to Die, to see just who the next James Bond will be.

Source: The Guardian

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