Daniel Craig 'working harder than ever' and 'enjoying life more' after giving up James Bond role
The former 007 is now working on a spate of other projects after leaving behind the legendary franchise
Daniel Craig has revealed he is "working harder than ever before" and is "enjoying" life more after leaving his James Bond career behind.
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Craig, 57, played 007 across five films starting with Casino Royale in 2006 and ending with No Time to Die in 2021.
The Hollywood star has since opened up on huis new professional freedom, as rumours continue to circulate over who will be chosen as his successor.
Speaking to Radio Times, Craig explained that he is now embracing roles he might previously have hesitated over.
He said: "I'm not saying no to things that I might have been a little bit wary about before.
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"When the Bond thing was going on in my life, the juxtaposition between that and another role would sometimes feel self-conscious."
He added that the shift has allowed him to pursue "really interesting, different stuff," leading to his current satisfaction.
After saying farewell to the Bond franchise, Craig has starred as detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out series and as William Lee in Luca Guadagnino's 2024 romance Queer.
He is set to reprise his role as Blanc in the upcoming Wake Up Dead Mean: A Knives Out Mystery, the third instalment from American filmmaker Rian Johnson.
Craig affirmed his desire to continue his partnership, adding: "Of course, I would love to continue working with him (Johnson). As long as Rian keeps inventing it the way he does, then I'm in."
He made his fifth and final appearance as the character in No Time to Die having taken over from Pierce Brosnan in the mid 2000s.
That film marked the conclusion of MGM’s complete control over the franchise with Amazon having bought the production company in a huge deal that was announced in February.