Throughout his time at the helm of the James Bond franchise, Daniel Craig was known for really holding nothing back when it came to his true feelings about the films.
And in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the former 007 star admitted there’s one movie in particular from his tenure as Bond that he doesn’t have much love for.
During the wide-ranging interview, it was noted that while Casino Royale was largely well-received, follow-up Quantum Of Solace “took some flak”.
Referring to it as a case of the “difficult second album”, Daniel recalled the production process as a “fucking nightmare” because it fell at a time that Hollywood’s writers were on strike.
“Paul Haggis did a pass on the script, then he went off and joined a picket line, and we didn’t have writers, so we didn’t have a script,” he explained.
“We probably should never have gone and started production, but we did.”
Daniel continued: “I ended up writing a lot of that film – I probably shouldn’t really say, and I do not want a credit, it’s fine – but we were in that state because that’s what we’re allowed to do. I was allowed to work. Under WGA rules we were allowed to work with a director and write scenes.
“But there’s some amazing stunt sequences in that, and I’m still bearing the pins to prove it, so in that sense there’s a lot of great stuff in it, but it just didn’t quite work. The storytelling wasn’t there.
“And that’s the abject lesson: going to start a movie without a script, it’s just not a good idea.”
Since bidding farewell to the 007 franchise, Daniel has made no secret of the fact that the James Bond saga is not something he pays much attention to – including when it comes to which actor will succeed him in the role.
Even Daniel’s co-stars have said he is happier now the series is behind him, and he’s now able to flex his creative muscles in films like Glass Onion and Queer, the latter of which has landed him at the centre of Oscar buzz.