The actor has become so popular as 007 that it’s easy to forget the non-stop attacks when he started
When Daniel Craig signed on as James Bond in 2005, he found himself under attack by snipers more vicious than any 007 had ever faced: the media. The naysayers immediately lamented the “blond Bond” and criticized his blue eyes. The London Daily Mirror on Oct.15,2005, ran his photo with the headline “The Name’s Bland… James Bland.” Two days later, the Mirror interviewed a man actually named James Bland. He had a statement for Craig: “I’d make a better Bond than you.” Bland added, “He must be the most boring 007 ever.” This was nearly three months before filming had begun. At Craig’s first meeting with the press, he arrived via a speedboat on the Thames; he was wearing a lifejacket, which led to endless media mockery. Reporters were even more appalled that he chewed gum during the press conference. Websites immediately sprang up with names like DanielCraigIsNotBond.com, CraigNotBond.com and blondNotBond.com British tabloids and anonymous posters can be harsh, but even “respectable” news organizations picked up on the negativity. Variety’s Ian Mohr wrote that Craig’s “casting made him the target of grouchy bloggers — with the mainstream media giving a surprising amount of credence to a few noisy naysayers.” When the actor started filming “Casino Royale” on Jan.3,2006, the hostility shifted into high gear. The British Sun said Craig was “hit by a nasty bout of prickly heat” in the Bahamas, plus, he suffered sunburn — not too suave. It also was reported he didn’t know how to drive a stick-shift. (Headline: “Craig’s 007 Can’t Get in Gear.”) “Craig confessed he doesn’t like guns,” said one British tabloid, while another reported he lost two teeth in a fight scene with “minor actors” (apparently more humiliating than being punched by major actors).
