Daniel Craig reveals he reprised James Bond role after 'taking a rest'

‘After the last one, I thought that was it’: Daniel Craig reveals he decided to reprise James Bond role for fifth time after taking ‘a bit of a rest’ despite previously admitting he’d rather ‘slash his wrists’ than play 007 again

Daniel Craig has revealed that he decided to reprise his role as James Bond for the fifth time after he ‘got a bit of a rest’ following 2015’s Spectre.

Craig, 53, can be seen on screen as 007 for the final time in No Time To Die, which hits cinemas on September 30, and speaking about his decision to play the smooth-talking agent one more time he said on Tuesday’s The Chris Evans Virgin Radio Breakfast Show with Sky that time away from the role made him ‘excited’.

It comes after Craig said when asked whether he would want to play Bond again in a 2015 interview that he would rather ‘slash his wrists’.

Reprising his role: Daniel Craig, 53, has revealed that he decided to reprise his role as James Bond for the fifth time after he ‘got a bit of a rest’ following 2015’s Spectre

Craig told radio host Chris: ‘After the last one, I thought that was it. I thought, ”I can’t do any more of these”.

‘I got a bit of a rest and we kind of talked about what we wanted to do with this last movie and how big we wanted to go, and it felt right, and I just got really excited about it, and I can’t wait for people to see it.’

He added: ‘I saw a rough cut of it about a month after we finished, which is really rough, because there’s no special effects or anything.

‘When you see that version of it, you just hope and pray that it makes sense, and it did. Once you get the effects, and you get the music, Hans Zimmer’s done the music, and it’s just incredible. The story holds together.’

Excited: Speaking about his decision to play the smooth-talking agent one more time he said that time away from the role made him ‘excited’

Gushing about his co-stars’ performances, the actor continued: ‘Everyone is just turning in brilliant performances, and I think it’s quite special.’

Speaking to Time Out in 2015, Craig responded to the question of whether he would like to play Bond again: ‘Now? I’d rather slash my wrists.’

He added: ‘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.’

Craig also touched upon the strange nature of the film’s two-year long release delay, saying: ‘It’s odd enough with a movie, when you’ve finished it, and you put it out and you kind of go, ”Woah, I hope it’s good.”

Co-stars: Gushing about his co-stars’ performances, the actor continued: ‘Everyone is just turning in brilliant performances, and I think it’s quite special’ (pictured: Ana de Armas)

‘But when there is a two-year gap between finishing it and putting it out, it just makes things even stranger.’

As for what Craig found latched onto after reading Ian Fleming’s original James Bond books, he told Chris: ‘The drink and the drugs!’

Craig elaborated: That kind of dark side that is in the books, because he goes to Q, or he goes to the quartermaster and gets his daily ration of rum, it’s just like his daily ration of uppers. It’s stuff like that, that’s in the book, that’s very dark.’

The actor also shared: ‘A Russian journalist, a few years ago, gave me a chart of all the Bonds and what they drink, and I’m way at the top!’

Craig also opened up about his emotional farewell speech to the cast and crew of No Time To Die after footage of the touching moment circulated the web.

He explained: ‘It was my last night on Bond, or at least on shooting. It was a night shoot, at the back lot at Pinewood, which is kind of fitting because it was raining.

‘I sort of wanted to say something. We hadn’t planned anything, and then everybody turned up, and I was just blown away.’

Craig added: ‘I hate making speeches, I’m just terrible at it. It was just heartfelt. It just came out, and I meant every word I said. Just how fortunate I’ve been to have the opportunity to even be near this, in a way.

‘They don’t get made, very often, these things, and to have the chance to be even close to it, has been just amazing. I didn’t want to choke up. I wanted to be stoic, and failed miserably!’

The Chris Evans Virgin Radio Breakfast show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am 

The actor also shared: ‘A Russian journalist, a few years ago, gave me a chart of all the Bonds and what they drink, and I’m way at the top!’

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