Daniel Craig returns to the role of James Bond 007 after the smash hit success of CASINO ROYALE which saw his debut in the role in 2006.
“It's like I've never been away, I was involved for a little longer this time and was working on QUANTUM OF SOLACE for about three months before we started shooting. A Bond film is a big piece of machinery, to get it going takes a lot of momentum and a lot of pushing. We kicked off straight away after Christmas and everything started falling into place.”
Following the record breaking success of CASINO ROYALE, Craig is not under estimating the task ahead. “I don't feel it is easier on this one, it feels harder. We have got expectation on us now which can be double edged, we have got to make this one better. People always talked about the fact that CASINO ROYALE was a departure for Bond and this has to be a departure again.
Having Marc Forster involved, who is very much a visual story teller, and getting Dan Bradley to come in and direct the second unit, who shoots stunts brilliantly and gets as much out of the action as possible, combining those two has been the name of the game; it's getting the best talent we can to create the best Bond movie we can possibly make. Everyone is very psyched about it and very excited about the prospect of creating something different. We are taking the story on from the last film but we are exploring different things. Marc Forster has a very different way of looking at the movie and I'm personally very excited by that.”
QUANTUM OF SOLACE represents the first direct sequel in the James Bond film series, Craig explains; “We felt we needed to tie up the loose ends from CASINO ROYALE and make sure people realize we are back making Bond movies. For me it¬ís about creating something that is going to stand alone but if you put the two films together, you¬íre going to have an incredible experience because you will see one continuous story.”
Craig elaborates on his working relationship with Marc Forster. “Marc and I hit it off as soon as we met each other. I never doubted that, if we stuck together and pulled each others ideas and emotion on this, we would make a good film. That is really the bottom line, both of us keep talking about it and we are on the same wave length. Marc is obviously under a huge amount of pressure; the expectation, budget issues, locations issues, weather changes and the list goes on but we have to keep moving and we have to take this movie somewhere new and make this movie individual from the last. Not because we want to change anything but because it¬ís important to keep things alive and awake. Marc has been very strong about that and I'm incredibly happy with how he has thrown himself in to it.”
QUANTUM OF SOLACE promises twice as many stunts and Craig welcomes the opportunity to train for these with a view to doing as many of his own stunts as the production will allow. “We have hit the ground running. There are so many variables on a movie like this. In a way, it is still new to me but you have got to cover yourself and try to get as much rehearsal and stunt training time as possible. The sets are complicated and often dangerous so we have got to be on the ball all the time and, hopefully, it will all add to the finished product.”
QUANTUM OF SOLACE was filmed in more countries than any other film in the franchise, Craig explains why; “I think the remit for the Bond movie is that we have to be taken somewhere. It is important that we see this character go places that excite you and make you look at the world in a different way. For me, as a kid, the Bond movies transported you to another world. It was important that it took you to different locations and showed you how wonderful, amazing and diverse the world is. If that was the only reason to make this film, we have fulfilled it.”
Daniel Craig was part of the casting process and remembers trying to find the right actress to play Camille: “Finding beautiful girls who can act can be tricky but we narrowed it down and Olga just nailed the audition, she was fantastic. She is a really good actress, plus she is beautiful, so it just fitted. She has this fantastic icy detachment about her, which is really essential for this part because both she and Bond are on this journey of revenge. They become reluctant partners and that makes for a very interesting relationship, especially because we are taking the story straight on from CASINO ROYALE where Bond fell in love and had his heart broken. That had a very strong knock on effect and that's what this next movie is all about, so meeting someone else and falling in love didn¬ít make any sense whatsoever.”
That said, Bond still has a bit of fun with Agent Fields played by Gemma Arterton. “Gemma's character is great and she plays it to the hilt. She¬ís an agent who seems clueless at first but she is smarter than we first think and she teams with Bond. He is hurt and damaged so thank god for Gemma!”
French actor, Mathieu Amalric plays Dominic Greene, the Bond villain. “Mathieu is a tremendous actor and Bond villains have to have an intelligence about them. He is not a mad scientist or some crazed egg head trying to take over the world through science. He is just an aggressive man with high intellect who is using his talent to manipulate people and grab as much of the world¬ís landmass as he possibly can in his lifetime, he doesn¬ít care who he hurts, no one will get in his way. Mathieu has just nailed it, he¬ís understood the part completely and he is going for it–that¬ís what you want in a Bond bad guy.”
Despite the hard work, or maybe because of it, Craig is enthused. “I'm incredibly excited about what we have done, I¬ím amazed how much we have crammed in. We have been to so many locations, the film looks stunning and I think we have got something really special, in fact, I know we have something really special.”
