Sunday, October 11, 2015

My Reaction to Daniel's Interview...


Now, I'm sure Daniel Craig is a great, caring and loving person. But, after reading the interview this week about if he should come back as James Bond or not, I was a bit surprised for him to say, "I'll come back for the money." Now, I'm sure it was all taken out of context and not really meant to sound mean or selfish or anything, but that is not the classiest thing to say. Clearly, if you're an actor, for any movie or for any job, in the end of course you want to get paid. That is the whole point of acting, or any job for that matter, not just in show business. Acting IS in fact a job. Of course, like with other things, it's a different kind of job, it's a job we all would love to do or at least attempt. So, of course we do it for the money. At the same time, you've got to have the heart in it to act. I was just a bit disappointed when he said that because it sounded a bit petty and selfish. Being James Bond is in fact not like any other acting job. It drains you I'm sure and demands a lot from your body but there are upsides to it I'm sure. You get the girls, the gadgest, the cars, the locations and most of the time a great bond (no punn intended) with the producers. You also get many fans the world over. When you are interviewed, you don't just say you'll do it for the money. In my opinion, he should have just said how greatful he was to be chosen the part for one of the most famous acting gigs around. If you're James Bond, you're in!

Me-not being a fan of Daniel's Bond, and not ashamed to admit it-feel like the other actors in the role, had far more respect and appreciation for the part, with the exception of Sean Connery, who after several films felt he wasn't getting the money he deserved on the set. Now, Sean Connery is an interesting case. James Bond made him [Sean] who he is today and even though he left the part wanting to continue other projects, he was lured to come back for a large sum of money. Now, the money wouldn't be for him though. He would only do the part again if he could use it to help fund the Scottish Education Trust Fund which would allow students to pursue their careers in art, music, and other careers in Scotland. Now, if that isn't selfless, I honestly don't know what is. Knowing exactly what it was like to be poor, Sean wanted others to succeed in his homeland. He was a coffin cleaner before becoming a body builder, a small time actor and then James Bond. Roger Moore, after filming his sixth Bond film in India, noticed all the poverty and poor living conditions and joined UNICEF as an ambassador. How cool is that?! Timothy Dalton really wanted to capture the essence of the books written by Ian Fleming and cared about preserving the way the character was intended to be. Pierce Brosnan was originally going to be 007 in the 80s until he finally got the part in 1995. He was a smashing success as 007 and during his time as Bond, he and his wife went around the world supporting clean oceans and less toxins in our air. Even now he is a sponsor for that. It was said that Brosnan wanted too much money for another film after Die Another Day and that he quit when he didn't get it. However, that is not the truth at all. The producers wanted someone younger for the part and one day just called Pierce on the phone basically telling him he was fired. It had nothing to do with the money. Again, yes these are acting jobs and of course money is going to be involved. That's a given. But it's not just about that.

For Daniel Craig to say he would only come back for the money is an all time low. Near the end of the interview, Craig was asked who should replace him as James Bond, to which he replied, "Look, I don't give a fuck. Good luck to them! All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we've left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that's all." Fair enough, the man has every right to his opinion. However, when he replied, "You've got to step up. People do not make movies like this any more. This is really rare now. So don't be shit ... Just make sure you're great. You've got to push yourself as far as you can. It's worth it, it's James Bond." Well, that is a pretty strange statement considering what a drastic change he brought to the role. All muscle and no sophistication. He's like a killing machine. That's not how James Bond should be.

Well, there goes my rant, I just had to get that off my chest and into my blog. Check out the article here.

Until next time, see you all in theaters this November for SPECTRE