Perks in being Bond

THEY said it could never work, but Daniel Craig made the first blond James Bond such a success that Casino Royale became the biggest grossing 007 film EVER.

The blue-eyed Brit shares a steely charm with his character - and a love of Martinis.

Off screen, Daniel, 40, remains happy with long-term love Satsuki Mitchell, a 29-year-old American producer, and has a teenage daughter, Ella, with his ex-wife, Scots actress Fiona Loudon.

In new Bond flick Quantum Of Solace, he gets close to lovelies including Gemma Arterton as Agent Strawberry Fields.

Today he takes a break from saving the planet to share some secrets about life as the world's favourite spy...

So Daniel, you've smooched with some of the world's most eligible women - Angelina Jolie, Sienna Miller, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow...

I've been very lucky! They're all incredibly beautiful girls. You're at your best on set when you're having fun with who you're opposite. It makes it more exciting.

And then of course there are the Bond girls - Eva Green in Casino Royale, Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton in Quantum...

Gemma is a rising star. We've done a little kiss. That was nice! Olga's got a real depth to her. And Eva had a mystery about her, she had something going on.

Are the on-screen love scenes one of the perks of the job?

You can never feel comfortable. You're still in a sex scene where there are ten people in the room you don't know that well. So you're not exactly feeling sexy. Unless you get a kick out of that! Some people do - I don't.

What other perks do you enjoy?

Travel, definitely. If we're in a city I haven't been to, I always look round. We've been filming in Madrid, Peru, Chile and Panama. I also went to Tokyo and that's probably now one of my favourite cities. I spend a lot of time in the States. I love New York and I'm a big fan of California and that lifestyle.

You also do a lot of your own stunts...

I'm pushing myself as hard as I can. I've had black eyes, cuts, bruises - I was bleeding constantly! Jumping from great heights hurts a lot, I did that quite often. When I was a kid I wanted to be a stunt man because I liked falling off my bike (laughs).

Do you ever feel like Superman?

No, no, mortality has more to do with it. I love having that adrenalin rush. I'd advise anybody to go and take a ride on a rollercoaster or do something that's just a bit out there at one point during the year, and get a rush of blood, because it wakes you up, makes you realise you are mortal and that life must be enjoyed. I'd love to go and do a parachute jump right now!

Will this second instalment set women's hearts racing again? You've got a reputation to live up to!

It's not like I am trying to be sexy! When Bond takes his shirt off, it should look like he could kill someone, not that he's been out in the pub for the last two months!

So how did you prepare physically?

I trained very differently this time. In Casino, I bulked up because I wanted to make Bond look like someone who's just dropped out of the Army. As we were moving on, I needed to get fitter in a different way, because I had an awful lot of physical activity to do and I had to get myself - I really don't want to use these words - cardiovascularly fit. It's awful. I can't believe I'm saying that. But I needed to last the pace this time round.

Do you have a diet to stay looking good?

I don't diet. I never diet. I've always kept fit and work out but I don't diet, otherwise life would just be awful (laughs).

How do you relax off set?

I like to live quietly, go to pubs, spend time with my friends. I like going to France, to eat good food and drink a lot of wine. And I've always been a big rugby fan.

So what can we expect from this next instalment?

We're kicking off where the other one left off but it's very different from Casino Royale. The look is stunning and there's some amazing stuff for the fans.

Are you more comfortable in Bond's shoes the second time around?

Let's say that I know where his head is at, and it takes us emotionally to a different place. He wants revenge. There is a fight within him because of the need to do his job and because everything he understood about the world has been turned upside down. Things point towards a bad organisation - and he is after them.

How much pressure do you feel this time around?

As much as before. My feeling is, we owe it to the people who saw the last movie to give them something better.

Unlike past Bonds, you seem to enjoy a much more diverse career between films.

Yeah, well, I'm clinging on by my finger nails (laughs). I'm trying to get on with things and keep interested because I love my job. The more diverse the better.

Do you ever regret taking on 007, as it limits other, smaller projects?

Bond wasn't the direction I'd chosen for myself. I'd been working solidly for years. But when I read the script, I just thought, 'I can't dismiss it'. If you're not in this game for doing something like Bond, then what are you in the game for? Yes, it may take away some of my ambition, and directors may think twice about employing me. But it also gives me benefit. Some friends told me I'd never be able to do anything else. But I did Bond because I wanted to.

What did you do before acting?

I've always wanted to be an actor. Simple answer. I had the arrogance to believe I couldn't be anything else. I really started wanting to be an actor from my earliest memories, when I could dress up and show off. I come from quite an artistic family.

So how did you start?

I did three years at a school of music and drama, where they teach you that you're not gonna get employed! There's 98 per cent of actors who are unemployed. And you're probably just gonna join that queue. It didn't happen like that for me, thankfully. But the main thing I learned was to get out of bed in the morning and take it seriously.

Did you ever imagine your career would be this successful though?

It wasn't even on my compass. I just wanted to act and have fun.

The money must also be attractive?

It's very poor taste to talk about money. Maybe it's British reserve. Needless, to say, I'm happy. But it's not my cause in life.

Your big film break came with Road To Perdition. How was that?

There were more Oscars on that set than any movie I've ever been on. It's one of those situations where I walked in and thought, 'I've got to keep this together'. Tom Hanks was a joy and Paul Newman a dream. He was a big hero of mine. He liked to tell dirty jokes (laughs). It was great.

And you have also worked with Steven Spielberg on Munich. How was that?

Terrifying! I had one of those calls: "Steven Spielberg wants to meet you." And I was like: "F**k off! Who is this?" Next thing, I'm on a train to Paris and he offers me the job.

And then you were offered Bond. Was it a challenge to step into his shoes?

I looked upon it as an acting challenge, not a holy mission. It's all about convincing audiences about the man. Bond is a raw, violent, lone warrior. That's the mystique, that's what you have to create.

Is there life after Bond?

I'm not living or dying with the whole thing. I know who I am and what my life is about and I'm going to be happy regardless.

And finally...your predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, was in Mamma Mia. Will we see any singing and dancing from you?

Not really, no. I can hold a note, just about. And I can do about four steps, that's it!

Quantum Of Solace is out now.

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