Daniel Craig has wowed fans in period romantic drama Queer - and is in the running for a Golden Globe for his lead role.
But the third Golden Globe nomination of his career - and potentially his first win - might never have transpired had Queer been made any earlier.
The 56-year-old actor said this week he would never have taken on the role of outcast American expat William Lee while he was still portraying James Bond. Daniel said: "I couldn’t have done this while doing Bond. It would look reactionary like I was showing my range."
The two roles are hugely different but, having finished his 007 stint with the 2021 release No Time to Die, Daniel felt he was ready to try something to further his portfolio. Lee becomes infatuated with a younger man, played by Drew Starkey, in the period drama set in 1950s, and eventually persuades Drew's character to travel South America with him.
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Getty Images)Daniel's portrayal has led to the nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, his first in this category. The actor has previously been nominated in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category twice, including for his work in Knives Out in 2020, but has never won a Globe.
Speaking to The Times, the father of two said he was ready to bid farewell to Bond in 2021 after five films, including Skyfall and Spectre, in 15 years. His replacement is yet to be unveiled but Aaron Taylor-Johnson, of Kick-Ass fame, is current favourite at just 2/1 with some bookies. Rege-Jean Page and James Norton have also been linked with the role to play the Secret Service officer.
In The Times interview, Daniel, from Chester, added: "I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond it would take me six months to recover emotionally. I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out."
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