The actor clearly couldn't relax with the weight of a Bond reboot on his shoulders, which luckily translated to a searingly intense performance on-screen. Looking back at 'Casino Royale' in 2021, he recalled being 'So uptight, not uptight but just kind of jangling nerves about everything, because everything was just so important, so important' during filming. It seems Craig maintained some of that icy bravado off-camera too.
Craig's scarred bruiser of a spy gave the impression that beneath the icy bravado and suave affectation, there existed a real person. Yes, before Bond once again became a parody of himself, for a brief moment we were all treated to a glimpse at a truly 21st Century 007 that still remained true to Ian Fleming's original vision. Thanks to Daniel Craig's broody and embattled take on Bond, and the general 'gritty reboot' trend of the early 2000s, 007 was reinvigorated for a new generation.
