Arts & Entertainment
‘Skyfall’ with Daniel Craig
Born in Chester, England on March
2, 1968, and raised on the Wirral
Peninsula outside Liverpool, Daniel
Craig has gone from waiting tables as
a struggling actor to playing the leg-
endary James Bond. In between, the
versatile thespian has tackled a variety
of roles, which is reflected in a resume
which includes outings in Elizabeth,
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to
Perdition, The Mother, Sylvia, Layer
Cake, Fateless, Munich and Infamous
prior to his 2006 debut as 007 in Casi-
no Royale.
Since then, the Brit beefcake has
also appeared in The Invasion, Defi-
ance, Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo and another
Bond flick, The Quantum of Solace.
Here, Daniel talks about his third go-
round as the secret agent with the
proverbial “License to Kill” in Skyfall,
a riveting adventure which establishes
him as the best 007 since the standard
was set by Sean Connery back in the
Sixties.
Kam Williams: Hey, Daniel. Is that
you? I’m surprised, because most
celebrities have their publicist place
the call and then put them on the line.
Daniel Craig: I can dial the phone
myself. Amazing! [Chuckles]
KW: We’ll, thanks for the interview.
I loved Skyfall. How did you enjoy
making it?
DC: Immensely! Immensely! It’s
been the culmination of a lot of effort
by many different people. We’ve been
very busy prepping over the entire,
four-year hiatus. I won’t lie, it was
very hard work and sometimes very
intense, but with a cast this good and a
crew that’s just out of this world, it
added up to a great, great experience.
KW: I told my readers I’d be inter-
viewing you, and they sent in a lot of
questions. Editor/Legist Patricia
Turnier asks: How is Skyfall different
from all the other Bond movies?
DC: I suppose the only way I could
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
say it’s different is that it’s a modern
take. But we’ve been very careful that,
throughout the film, you never forget
that you’re watching a James Bond
movie since that, of course, is what
people come to see. And we want you
to make all the sort of nods to the past,
and to make sure that we not only rein-
troduce characters that everybody
knows by now but also introduce some
new ones as well. We had a great story
have a chance to make one very often.
So, we had better make a good one.
KW: Film student Jamaal Green
asks: How did you prepare yourself
physically and mentally to play 007
this time around?
DC: I just hit the gym for the physi-
cal side of it. I’m training about six
months before we start shooting. Three
months out I kind of up the rate, and
try to get as fit as I can. The mental
preparation involves long, long, long
discussions with the writers and the
directors to make sure we’re all on the
same page.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What is
the coolest gadget we will get to see
you use in the film?
DC: I can’t tell you that, Larry.
[Chuckles, then pauses to think] The
DB5! [The Aston Martin first driven
by 007 in Goldfinger] It’s still there
‘I’ve always felt that I could never be as
good as the guys who’ve gone before, or
even like them in any way, shape or form,
so I have to kind of try to create
something’
with a unique plot.
KW: Children’s book author Irene
Smalls asks: Do you feel at all intimi-
dated as the face of such an enduring
and beloved film franchise?
DC: Well, I don’t know about feeling
intimidated. But there is a little pres-
sure in the back of your mind when
you’ve been afforded a chance to
make a movie of this stature. But it’s a
good pressure. It spurs people on. I
know that Sam [director Sam Mendes]
and I were in total agreement that we
just wanted to make the best Bond we
could, not only because of the 50 year
anniversary, but because you don’t
and it’s still one of the best gadgets
there ever was.
KW: Director Kevin Williams asks:
What did you bring to your interpreta-
tion of James Bond to make the role
your own?
DC: I don’t know, just my knowl-
edge of the way I like to act. I’ve
always felt that I could never be as
good as the guys who’ve gone before,
or even like them in any way, shape or
form, so I have to kind of try to create
something. I always had a grand plan
that if I ever had the chance to make a
few of these that something would
emerge, and I’m really sort of pleased
Daniel Craig
with how things have worked out, because it gave us an
opportunity to get into Bond’s head a little bit.
KW: Well, I think you’re being extremely modest. Yes,
Sean Connery may have set the standard as the originator of
the role, but I think you’ve done a phenomenal job and
eclipsed all the other Bonds while making the role your
own.
DC: Thanks, Kam.
KW: Ilene Proctor says, Daniel. You are such a phenom-
enally talented actor. What has been your favorite role to
date?
DC: Ooh, wow! That’s a really hard question to answer.
I’ve loved a lot of what I’ve done. It’s a very difficult ques-
tion to answer because each individual movie has a very
specific memory. I’d have to put James Bond near the top
for sure.
KW: I’ve enjoyed the versatility of your work which
ranges from a relationship drama like Mother to the histor-
ical thriller Munich to the Holocaust drama Defiance. What
a mix!
DC: Yeah, I get around.
KW: Laz Lyles asks: Do we discover anything new about
Bond’s mental make-up, motivations or fears in this film?
DC: Without giving anything away, Laz, yes we do.
KW: Kate Newell says: I loved your performance with the
Queen in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Is she going to
be your new Bond girl? Is there any chance of you two
working together again?
DC: I shouldn’t think so. I believe that was just a one off.
[Director] Danny Boyle did such an extraordinary job with
it. I was very proud to be part of the opening ceremony and
it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to act with the
Queen and to go to the palace.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: did you play a role in
picking the Bond girls? DC: Oh, no, not really, that’s Sam’s
job, although I certainly encouraged him when I thought he
was on the right track.
KW: Harriet also asks. Which was your favorite location
to shoot on?
DC: I enjoy them all, but London was the best one this
time around, because we shot at a number of places there
that you don’t normally get to shoot. And I think that plays
very beautifully in the film.
KW: Eddie Von Der Schmidt asks: Have there been
moments in your career where you personally doubted the
likelihood of breaking through and finding success?
DC: I never really had that in mind. I got rid of my desire
to make it a long time ago. I actually have just enjoyed
working. I’ve always felt that when you’re only trying to
strive to be successful, and you’re always worried about the
grass being greener somewhere else, then you’ve failed.
I’ve simply enjoyed the experience of working with people
more than anything else, and that’s where I’ve put all my
energy. Of course, I had a desire to be successful, too, but
when I first started acting, all I wanted to do was pay the
rent. I counted achieving that as the biggest success.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you
wish someone would?
DC: God, no! [LOL]
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
DC: Spaghetti vongole. It’s spaghetti with clams in a
white wine sauce.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DC: Me, I see me.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what
would that be for?
DC: To banish hate. That’s a bit of a Miss World beauty
pageant question, but I really do wish people would stop
hating each other.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest
childhood memory?
DC: Playing in my backyard. At about the age of 3, I
would imagine.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do
you believe all successful people share?
DC: The people I admire are the ones who allow the peo-
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Page 6 The Portland Skanner November 7, 2012