Dalton in praise of Craig
cassidybond
Posts: 9MI6 Agent
Found this today, thought it may interest some.
http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=4746&catid=3
What did you make of Daniel Craig as James Bond?
I thought he was great. He got a lot of stick when he was doing it. There was a lot of negative press. I said how wrong everyone was at the time because he’s a very gifted actor. I’m pleased that the movie turned out as well as it did.
Did you get the same amount of criticism when you were making the Bond films?
You always get people saying: ‘I would have preferred this actor.’ There’s always some controversy about who has been chosen. Craig was criticised by people who didn’t have a clue what was in the script or what he was going to look like in the film, which was deeply unfair.
Do you regret not making more Bond films?
I was supposed to make one more but it was cancelled because MGM and the film’s producers got into a law suit which lasted for five years. After that, I didn’t want to do it.
Do you look back fondly on playing Bond?
It was a remarkable time of my life. I don’t think anyone except the few people who have played James Bond can tell you how strange and special it is and how much your life changes. I have no regrets about doing it at all. You also have to deal with the press and people’s expectations of what James Bond represents – you end up living in a world which is rather separate. It’s a unique role.
http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=4746&catid=3
What did you make of Daniel Craig as James Bond?
I thought he was great. He got a lot of stick when he was doing it. There was a lot of negative press. I said how wrong everyone was at the time because he’s a very gifted actor. I’m pleased that the movie turned out as well as it did.
Did you get the same amount of criticism when you were making the Bond films?
You always get people saying: ‘I would have preferred this actor.’ There’s always some controversy about who has been chosen. Craig was criticised by people who didn’t have a clue what was in the script or what he was going to look like in the film, which was deeply unfair.
Do you regret not making more Bond films?
I was supposed to make one more but it was cancelled because MGM and the film’s producers got into a law suit which lasted for five years. After that, I didn’t want to do it.
Do you look back fondly on playing Bond?
It was a remarkable time of my life. I don’t think anyone except the few people who have played James Bond can tell you how strange and special it is and how much your life changes. I have no regrets about doing it at all. You also have to deal with the press and people’s expectations of what James Bond represents – you end up living in a world which is rather separate. It’s a unique role.
Comments
Haha, oh JFF. You're sooo crazy.
Irregardless of what you think of his movies, he seems very friendly and modest about his time as Bond.
I think the reason that Dalton likes Craig and Casino Royale so much is the fact that Dalton, always wanted to return to Fleming and make his Bond as close to that as possible. it seemed in Dalton's films that the producers seemed to let him play the character his way to a point, but made sure that there were still pieces of the trademark formula, not really wanting to go the whole hog. Now however, with Craig, they have done what Dalton always wanted to do and rebooted the series, returning to fleming once more.
this is what I picked up from Interviews I have seen with Dalton anyway.
Of course I'm crazy! If I wasn't crazy, no one on this site would know who I was! Is it a coincidence that almost any time AVTAK is brought up, my name is attached? I didn't just get to where I am by laying low (however, the gender confusion and the NSA helped).
And this may be, taity, but I know someone who was a little moore gracious and friendly about their time as Bond. Can't think of who it was though...
Particularly good to hear Dalton talk about Bond (which he often chooses not to discuss.)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Well, it's a shame that anyone should feel so strongly as to detest Roger Moore and his Bond films. And the same applies to the other Bond actors and their films. If people really feel that way then I would suggest they get a grip on reality and get their priorities in order.
At the end of the day they're just actors portraying a fictional character in a series of films.
Thanks for the nod NP. Went out and bought it. Good interview. He's become very chatty these days ... Loved his laughing at Craigs huffiness at the Baftas , probably reminds him of himself!
For those unable to obtain the Daily Mail Weekend magazine, here's the part of Rebecca Hardy's article/interview with Timothy Dalton that relates to Bond. And it makes for interesting reading.
Take, for example, when I mention Daniel Craig's huffiness at the Baftas following the jokes about his shorts in the latest Bond film, Casino Royale. Instead of making supportive noises, he literally rolls about laughing on the sofa. "I shouldn't laugh," he says. "But he's going to get all kinds of s**t. The attention with Bond is huge - overwhelming. You can be told what's going to happen, but the only people who can understand it are Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, myself, George Lazenby, Sean Connery and Roger Moore.
"I was still able to walk down the street and go to the pub, but there are awful moments like when you're waiting for a plane and a bunch of people decide to descend on you. They become blathering idiots when they ask you about Bond. It's as if you came out of a zoo. You've got to talk about the body, the workout, the Aston Martin, the girls. It's a weird thing. People were cross that I didn't really drive an Aston Martin or a sports car."
Dalton immortalised himself as the fourth Bond in Living Daylights and Licence To Kill. Credited with saving 007 from the self-parody of the Roger Moore years, he took the decision to quit after the pre-production of his third Bond film was halted for five years by litigation. "I only wanted to do one Bond movie in the first place, but they insisted that I sign for three. By the time the lawsuit was resolved, I'd been Bond for nine years. They asked if I'd stay and do another.
"Part of me, having done two which had good and bad things about them, wanted to do a third to see if I could do one that brought everything together. But they wanted me to sign for more than one so I said, "No". I knew I'd made the right decision, but there was this little feeling of territoriality, until I was driving one day in Los Angeles.
"I turned onto Sunset Boulevard and there was this massive poster with Pierce standing there holding a gun - the pose that every single Bond actor has had to do. It was an advert for the latest Bond. I had know idea how I was going to feel, but suddenly I felt liberated, free. I felt, "Now I don't have to be me and that - 007", which you've got to be when you're in the Bond movies. The minute someone else did it I could move on."
I don't believe Sean Connery hated his time as James Bond, at least not all of it. The "Bondmania" that followed Goldfinger must have caught him (and everyone else at Eon) by surprise. The constant media and public attention no doubt was a source of annoyance. All the Bond actors who followed knew what to expect, Connery wasn't so fortunate.
As for Connery not supporting the franchise. My best guess is that this goes back to his apparent pay disputes with Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, plus their refusal to make him a partner when Terence Young suggested it.
I think that's the answer in a nutshell.Sean Connery was very grateful to have been chosen to play James Bond, but it was the overwhelming and unending attention to him and his personal life that really took their toll.He was asked ridiculous questions like was he going to run a detective agency now that he was James Bond--and in Japan he was pursued by photographers when he went into the Men's Room.
Additionally,unlike some of the other actors who've played 007--like Moore and Brosnan,for example--Connery came to the part without an established image so he was quickly typecast by the public and media alike as James Bond--and not all actors enjoy being typecast.
If he'd been made a partner at Eon,I think Connery wouldn't have become bored with the part and might even have made another motion picture or two before stepping aside for another actor.As a producer, I think Connery would have had an important say in the selection of his of the actor who would be the next 007, and that could have better prepared the public to more easily accept a different man as James Bond.
Incidentally,Donald Zec--the writer who helped Cubby write his autobiography(When the Snow Melts),added a special chapter to the book detailing what happened shortly before and immediately after Cubby passed away.He says that Sean Connery called Cubby Broccoli once he learned that his former employer was terminally ill and the two men quickly rekindled their friendship.
Timothy Dalton's always been a real gentleman whenever the subject of James Bond comes up.He's very proud to have played 007 and makes a point to acknowledge the different interpretations each of the other men brings to the part.He's never said that there's only one correct way to play 007.We all know that he was close to the Broccoli family.Cubby personally selected Dalton to play Bond, and it was Dalton who sat with the Broccoli family at Cubby's funeral and served as a pallbearer.
Yes, Lady Rose. I also tried to find an on line edition to share with everyone. And it did seem like an awful lot of typing beforehand, especially for a slow coach like me. But I had the spare time and the article was worth it.
Thank you, W.G.
I was particularly interested to discover that Sean Connery and Cubby Broccoli rekindled their friendship before Cubby's death. I had not known about this previously.
And I agree with you regarding Timothy Dalton. Whenever I have seen him being interviewed he has always comes across as friendly and charming, a real gentleman indeed.
But I don't necessarily agree with you regarding Cubby Broccoli personally selecting Dalton to play Bond. I am assuming (rightly or wrongly) that you are referring to TLD and not the earlier approaches that were made to Dalton. In the case of TLD, in the book James Bond - The Legacy it states that it was Dana Broccoli who suggested to Cubby that they should once more approach Dalton. The book suggests that (initially at least) Cubby favoured Lambert Wilson.
Yes,I was talking about Cubby's decision to try and sign Timothy Dalton immediately after Pierce Brosnan was let go from The Living Daylights following the unexpected renewal of his Remington Steele TV series.Cubby had apparently been interested in Dalton as a potential 007 dating as far back as 1969, when Eon found themselves looking for an actor to follow Connery.Of course,many other actors were on the short list.Other candidates for TLD were apparently Sam Neil as well as Lambert Wilson.Tim was something of a surprise choice in part because he wasn't internationally famous like Sir Roger, and he definitely didn't have the prestablished tuxedoed crimefighter image Moore and Brosnan shared.It's entirely possible that Dana helped play a part in selecting Tim--after all,Cubby apparently trusted her instincts when it came to determining Connery's potential appeal to the women in the audience.
By the way,I made a mistake in the post of mine that you quoted. I'd like to correct my comments right now.Connery DID call Cubby as soon as he learned his former employer was dying--and their friendship WAS renewed--but he didn't call Cubby every day thereafter.My bad.My only excuse is that I was falling back on my memory which isn't what it once was...I should've doublechecked my source material before posting.My apologies for the error.
No problem, Willie. We've all been there and done that......especially when we get to a certain age.
The most important part you got right and that's Sean Connery's renewed friendship with Cubby Broccoli.