Over the past decade, actor Daniel Craig has become synonymous with his tenure as James Bond. That’s about to come to an end with No Time to Die, but there was a time when fans thought he might have already been done with 007. And it turns out Craig regrets those infamous “slit my wrists” comments from when he thought about quitting.
Shortly after Spectre hit theaters back in 2015, Daniel Craig was asked about possibly returning as 007 in Bond 25. He famously said he’d rather slit his wrists, which had fans worrying his time as the MI6 agent was being cut short. With No Time to Die nearly in theaters, Craig reflected on that oft-quoted comment, saying:
To be completely honest, I was thinking, 'I don't know if I can do another one of these.' I finished filming Spectre with a broken leg. To your point about being in my fifties now, I thought, 'Do I have this in me? Do I want to go through all of this?' I needed a break. A little more skill in the answer might have been better. I was joking but it came across as ungrateful.
Sometimes being a celebrity is tricky. Because when Daniel Craig made his exacerbated comments about Bond after Spectre, it quickly went viral. Tone isn’t something that translates to text, so he admits it the joke he was making definitely came off wrong. Luckily he’s had years to ruminate on the subject.
Daniel Craig’s thoughts on those infamous quotes comes from his conversation with RadioTimes about No Time to Die (via The Independent). This is perhaps the most comprehensive explanation of that ill-fated joke, and really helps to offer context on Craig’s part. After all, he was recovering from an on set injury and had just finished an exhausting press tour at the time.
But as we all know, Spectre would not be Daniel Craig’s final performance as James Bond. That’ll come shortly when No Time to Die finally hits theaters in October. And while Craig and the rest of the company have been keeping the movie’s secrets, it certainly seems like a culmination of his time as 007.
Indeed, No Time to Die looks like an epic swan song for Daniel Craig. It’s likely for this reason that fans were so concerned when it looked like Spectre would be his last appearance. Luckily all he needed was some time to recover from his injury, rest, and eventually return to the character’s signature tuxedo.
While Daniel Craig has been playing James Bond, the long-standing franchise has been making a variety of exciting changes. The five-film story embraced storytelling, allowing the character’s decisions and losses to affect his decision making with each new release. No Time to Die will see the return of a number of characters, including Léa Seydoux, Jeffrey Wright, and Christoph Waltz. It remains to be seen who survives the delayed spy blockbuster.
No Time to Die will fly into theaters on October 8th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
