Last fall’s No Time to Die marked the final time that Daniel Craig will wield the Walther-PPK as James Bond. After inhabiting the role since 2006’s Casino Royale, making him the longest-serving Bond actor to date, 007 fans are going to miss Craig. Not that it’s been an easy decision for the star himself to make. Craig has opened up before about how hard it was to say goodbye to the franchise that’s been his home for such a long time.
In fact, we’ve now learned that Craig welled up with emotion when he first saw the completed No Time To Die. The 25th entry in the Bond canon earned itself a Best Editing gong at this weekend’s BAFTA awards. While speaking at a press conference after the event, co-editor Elliot Graham — who worked on the film with fellow editor Tom Cross — recalled Craig’s initial reaction to NTTD after watching a “rough cut” on his own.
“You know, I’ll tell a story that we’re not supposed to, but he watched the rough cut of the film by himself. And we were invited in a few minutes after the producers,” Graham said. “And he was in tears. Because it was 18+ years of his life. And it meant that much to him.”
Graham went on to praise Craig as an actor who respects all elements of the filmmaking process and likes to get involved across the board. The Knives Out performer, who’s also credited as a co-producer on No Time, even had “suggestions” for the editors over the movie’s final cut after working closely with the team for several days.
“There are actors were filmmakers who understand the process. And he’s one of them. He absolutely supports his collaborators, his directors, producers and writers,” Graham added. “And he spent three days in the editing room with us and could not have been more of a gentleman.”
Craig definitely wasn’t the only person out there who got all weepy after seeing Bond 25 for the first time. As everyone and their white cat knows by now, the superspy perishes at the end of the film, with director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s production concluding Craig’s tenure in explosive fashion. This leaves the door open for the next incarnation of the 60-year-old series to wipe the slate clean and start again with the mystery seventh actor to don the tux.
No Time To Die is also up for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the Oscars, which takes place on March 27.