As for whether hell return as Bond for a fifth time, he remains coy.
Heres what Daniel Craig had to say…
Well done brilliant film.
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Thank you very much.
How are you feeling this morning now the reviews are in?
I make a run at avoid them because [to a hubbub outside the room] Quiet!
because, you know, I dont want to be thinking about them.
But theyve been positive, and thats all that matters.
So does that help you forget all the pain and stress thats gone into the making of the film?
I forget about that very quickly.
I love making these films, and as I always say, its a massive collaborative process.
We got to this point.
The rest of its just hard work.
But the best things are.
Was it extra hard because you had to take extra time out to have an operation?
It worked out, quite frankly, well.
You know, he wouldnt look at it until right at the end.
I like to think it was deliberate on my part, just to give everybody a break!
Do we see the bit where you injured yourself in the film?
Its not in the film, sadly.
Its one of the proudest moments in my career, quite simply.
What did you bring to it, though?
Yeah, I think some of the tone Sam set inSkyfallwas very particular.
Youd kind of have to ask Sam about that, because thats what hes about more than anything.
I think some of that tone came into this movie, but only residually.
Do you find that as co-producer, you care more about the box-office stats and the reviews coming in?
What can I do?
Its one of those things.
Im not in control of that.
So I get a huge kick out of it.
Having said that, now its about the audience, its about them, really.
Hopefully theyll enjoy it.
Would you see a credit that says, Directed by Daniel Craig?
Oh God, no.
I couldnt do that.
Thats the worst job you never get any sleep.
And I need to sleep.
So youve no ambitions to direct a future Bond movie or anything like that?
Well, theyve been involved in all the Bond films Ive made, and their input is invaluable.
In fact, all the way through to the end of this movie we were working.
Youre fiddling with tiny bits, not whole scenes youre just trying to get it right.
Jez [Butterworth] got a credit as well this time.
He did, yeah.
And having someone as talented as Jez around is useful.
Is that something youve been keen to bring to the character?
I dont know any other way of doing it.
But I just think giving a part humanity and conflict I dont know how else to do it.
Theres conflict in his life, and I think thats an interesting thing to discover.
How does it feel havingQuantum [Of Solace]brought back into the fold, so to speak?
Because you were really heavily involved in writing parts ofQuantum.
Put it this way, we had a real problem onQuantum.
As, probably, you already know, we had a writers strike.
I didnt want to be involved in the writing ofQuantum[Laughs], and Im not a writer.
No ones a bigger fan of writers than I am.
Skilled writers are what make the movie.
The script is what you have.
But the whole through line hopefully they connect in a real way.
You dont have to watch them to enjoy this one, but it would help.
Hopefully theres a continuity.
How much of that continuity was planned from the very beginning?
Was it retrofitted or was there a game plan from the beginning?
No, there was a pretty strong game plan.
Of course, I wish it was really clear, we werent like, Weve got it.
But you sit in a room much like this with writers, and you go, What about this?
This will work… Theres a sort of roadmap.
Youve got that, and youre trying to link it all together.
With a Bond movie, theres the whole added thing of, Theres an action sequence here.
You cant conceive that at the time.
You want one film.
Was that actually part of the fun?
You have to make it fun.
In a way, its your bible.
But you try and freefall, you try and mess around with the conventions.
What has to be in a Bond film, do you think?
Everything thats in this Bond film, obviously!
[Laughs] You know the list.
Weve tried to put them in.
Were there any sacred cows you wouldnt touch?
You wouldnt, say, throw a hat on a hatstand?
We dont wear hats anymore.
[Laughs] I mean, Id love to walk into the office and throw it in.
But there are things that just dont work anymore.
But thats part of the fun of it, when you go, What can we do?
How can we do it, and make it of this moment?
Were using them to the best of their skills.
And were in Qs lair.
Its great, its all there.
Do you think we could get a spin-off movie?
Oh well, theyre all leading actors in their own right, so they could do anything.
So, you know… Again, what you do and like dont give this away its about rediscovering it.
But some people will have never seen a Bond movie.
And this did seem to lend itself well to this story.
Thats from Fleming, and this is the first film that borrows from the Kingsley Amis Bond novel.
Were you aware of that?
Have you read that novel?
We used a little bit of it.
Look, well take anything.
We snatched little bits and pieces from it.
How far has this movie pushed you physically?
Ill take mountain goat!
Looks like a mountain goat, maybe!
Look, its what I started doing.
I cant not do it now.
It would have been just awful.
We were right into it, so I had to protect myself a bit more.
But its movie making, you have to fake it, and you fake it as best you could.
I think theyve done an amazing job of making it seamless.
Like that opening scene, most of that was real.
Of course theres CGI in there, but most of its to do with making it look sequence.
It isnt, Oh look at that, its all there, weve just collaged it together.
And Im in the middle of it!
At the end of an eight-month shoot, whats the first thing once youve finished?
Um, I used to go and get drunk for a month.
I dont do that anymore.
I dont need to do that anymore.
I just want to get home.
Ive been away from home for eight months, and everybodys in the same boat.
Thats the strain with a film like this, is that everybodys away from their families.
Like everybody else, I just want to go home and spend some time [with them].
Christoph [Waltz] manages to tap into his more sinister sensibilities in this…
Thankfully,yes!
Do you spend a lot of time in character?
Is there a lot of laughter on set?
Or do you have a go at keep a distance?
You get both, it just depends on what youre doing.
I dont try and get in his way when hes trying to do his stuff.
You try and be as helpful and encouraging as possible, and whatever works works.
But we joke, yes.
There are a lot of jokes.
You didnt happen to keep any mementoes from this film or the previous films?
Ive been wearing this today.
Did you confect a backstory with Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory?
Because you did something like that with Judi [Dench].
He would have done.
Thats not my… someone like Ralph, hes one of the best actors we have.
Hell do that with Sam.
Thats his work with Sam.
I wouldnt want to get involved with that, quite frankly.
[Inaudible question about playing Bond again]
I dont know, really.
Thats the way Ive always spoken.
But as I said, I reserve the right to change my mind.
Daniel Craig, thank you very much.
Spectreis out in UK cinemas on the 26th October.
