Daniel Craig Agreed To Play James Bond In Casino Royale After Steven Spielberg Read The Script: "You Have To Do It!"

Daniel Craig has said that Steven Spielberg made him take on his 007 role.

The 53-year-old actor — who bowed out of his role as James Bond in 2021's No Time to Die after five movies — has revealed he only agreed to take on the part of the iconic spy for Casino Royale back in 2006 when he bumped into the legendary film director in a hotel by chance.

Craig said: "Steven was in the same hotel by chance. Can you get a more Hollywood moment? And I went 'Would you read this [the script] please? He read it very quickly and said 'You have to do it'!'"

He went on to explain that it was "very important" for someone in showbusiness as high up as Spielberg to be "inspired" by the role before he chose to accept it.

Craig is quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying: "It was very important to me that someone like him should be as inspired by it as I was."

However, despite receiving the confidence of the Oscar-winning Spielberg (for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan), Craig still found himself to be "nervous" about taking on the mammoth role, but knew it was "going to be good."

He said: "I was working with incredible directors in some amazing movies. I was nervous. I thought, ‘I don’t want to do Bond and ruin all that’. But I read the Casino Royale script. It was like, ‘Okay, this is going to be good.'" — BANG SHOWBIZ

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