Some might argue that Sean Connery is the definitive James Bond, but when he finally stepped down from his most iconic role, his career didn’t suffer at all– the Scottish actor went on to get marvelous roles, and became an even bigger star. I’m afraid the same cannot be said about subsequent Bonds. George Lazenby quit after one movie. Roger Moore played 007 until he was 60, but then couldn’t find the same success in other movies, and slowly vanished. Timothy Dalton… well, nobody remembers the poor guy except Edgar Wright, who was kind enough to cast him in Hot Fuzz. Pierce Brosnan was harshly criticized for his role in Mamma Mia, and some critics compared his singing voice to a “wounded raccoon.”
It seems Daniel Craig has broken this curse of sorts. He’s had some hits (The Golden Compass, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as well as misses (Cowboys & Aliens, Dream House), but at least he’s getting starring roles. He’s demonstrated his ability to effectively separate himself from the Bond persona, and he’s just an overall decent actor who hasn’t shown us his true potential yet, but even his detractors found his performance in Casino Royale to be shockingly outstanding.
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