The world knows Daniel Craig as the suave, debonair, clean-cut and no-nonsense MI6 agent James Bond. However, in a new commercial for Belvedere Vodka, Craig appears in an unconventional manner courtesy of Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. Clocking in at just over two and a half minutes, the ad sees Daniel Craig “as himself”.
Following the release of No Time to Die, Craig announced that he was done with James Bond. He said the same thing about Spectre, but the conclusion of Bond’s twenty-fifth outing doesn’t leave much room for debate as far as Bond — or at least Craig’s iteration of him — being dead as a doornail. Rather spectacularly, however, Craig has partnered with Waititi to not only sell Belvedere’s vodka, but also market a shift in his own public image. It’s clear that Craig wants the world to know he’s switching out the tuxedo for a fresh leather jacket.
In the ad, Craig can be seen in full biker attire, complete with black jeans, a wife beater, a leather jacket and a shiny gold chain. As he saunters around a lavish Parisian hotel with encouragement from an original soundtrack by Rita Ora and Giggs, it’s plain to see that the old Daniel Craig is long gone. In the end, everyone wins; Craig gets a paycheck and Belvedere gets to market their vodka in the most bizarre yet effective way imaginable, plus the James Bond star gets an opportunity to shed his skin, so to speak.
Naturally, Craig — while famous for Bond — has plenty more notches in his belt as far as substantial film and television roles go. This month, he’ll be reprising his well-received role as Detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. After starting his acting career on stage in London, Craig made his film debut in The Power of One (1992) and went on to appear as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Joe Bang in Logan Lucky, Obie Hardison in Kings (alongside Halle Berry) and even had a cameo role as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Craig has proven himself to be more than a man in a suit. Having cemented himself as ‘the face’ of James Bond for the last decade, Craig clearly trying to break free from that image and prove that he can be much more than the Bond persona. But while watching the ad and witnessing Craig galavant through the hotel in an erotic and comical fashion, you can almost imagine Bond himself behaving so extravagantly. It feels so wrong, but Craig makes it so right.
Perhaps this is all part of Craig’s master plan to spice up his life and his career, though if this is what that looks like we’re here for it. Incidentally, stick around to the end for some hilarious bloopers.
