‘Being famous is still so strange to me’: Daniel Craig admits he ‘hated’ the spotlight he was put in after being cast as James Bond in 2006
Daniel Craig has admitted he ‘hated’ the spotlight he was subjected to after being cast as James Bond in 2006, and still finds fame ‘foreign’.
The actor, 54, was the honoree at the 2022 Montclair Film Festival last week, where Stephen Colbert hosted a conversation at the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts.
According to GVN, Daniel said, “I used to hate it, but I think it was the fame that I didn’t like.” I had to get used to being famous, which is still so strange to me.
Wow! Daniel Craig admitted he ‘hated’ the spotlight he was subjected to after being cast as James Bond in 2006, and still finds fame ‘foreign’ (pictured October 2022)
“Everyone hated me,” Daniel joked about the public’s reaction to his casting.
The Chester native bid farewell to the role in 2021’s No Time To Die, with the likes of Henry Cavill, Regé Jean-Page and Tom Hardy the favorites to play 007 next.
Daniel was recently made a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George on Tuesday, the same honor as his iconic big-screen character, James Bond.
The film star received the honor from the Princess Royal at her investiture at Windsor Castle in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film and theatre.
Iconic: Chester native bid farewell to role in 2021’s No Time To Die (depicted in character in 2006)
The Royal Family’s official Twitter account shared a photo of Daniel receiving his honour, along with the famous line from the Bond movie: “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Daniel starred in the five most recent Bond films of 2006 before ending his reign in the 2021 film No Time to Die.
While in character as 007, he famously made an appearance alongside the Queen in a sketch to mark the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.
Chatting: The actor, 54, (right) was the honoree at the 2022 Montclair Film Festival last week, where Stephen Colbert (left) hosted a chat at the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts
Daniel also appeared in Knives Out (2019) alongside Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Jamie Lee Curtis, and will return in the film’s sequel due for release late next month.
The Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is the same gong that the famous spy received in Ian Fleming’s novels.
In the book From Russia with Love, an intelligence chief states that 007 “was decorated with the CMG in 1953, an award usually given only when he retires from the Secret Service.”
Daniel is being honored for his services to film and theater, and the title is usually only reserved for high-level diplomats.
The Order of Saint Michael and Saint George was founded in 1818 by the Prince Regent (later George IV) after the Napoleonic Wars to recognize the service of citizens in Malta and the Ionian Islands.
It was later changed to cover all British citizens living or serving abroad and to allow greater recognition of services in foreign affairs. This is still at the heart of the Order today.
Ahead of the release of his latest Bond film last year, Daniel was made an honorary Commander of the Royal Navy, another rank held by his character.
Oh no! “Everyone hated me,” Daniel joked about the public’s reaction to his casting (pictured in 2006)
