Bond casting team member was worried Daniel Craig wasn’t ‘traditionally handsome’ to play Agent 007

London, Sep 19 (PTI) Director Martin Campbell says there was a feeling of uncertainty while casting Daniel Craig for the Bond film “Casino Royale” because he believed the actor was not a “traditional handsome guy” to play the suave British agent.

Campbell, who has directed the Bond movie “GoldenEye” in 1995 starring Pierce Brosnan as the MI6 spy, remained part of the 007 casting team.

He also served as a member of the team to find the successor of Brosnan’s James Bond post “Die Another Day” (2002). The film series, based on the character created by Ian Fleming, was previously fronted by veteran stars Sean Connery and Roger Moore.

“My only reticence with Daniel he was really a superb actor, there’s no doubt about that It was the fact that with people like Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan was that they were all traditional looking Bonds: all handsome guys, all sexy, all very attractive to women and so forth.

“Daniel was obviously tougher and ruggeder, but he wasn’t a traditional handsome guy. So I just thought about that for a minute and apart from that, absolutely it was always him,” Campbell told newspaper Express UK.

The director said Craig was among eight actors who auditioned for the role and the makers eventually came to a “unanimous” decision to cast him.

“The way they work with Bond and it’s pretty terrific is when they decide on the actor and you audition in our case, it was eight people it’s very democratic. You sit around a table, eight or nine of you.

“It was myself and the producers, casting director, etcetera. And you go through the eight people and you put your hand up as you talk through each person and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision, if you see what I mean,” he added.

As the new Bond, Craig went on to star in five films — “Casino Royale” (2006), “Quantum of Solace” (2008), “Skyfall” (2012), “Spectre” (2015), and “No Time To Die” (2021).