© Provided by Mirror Daniel Craig is a perfectionist and the ultimate professional, says Caterina The pressure of being a “perfect” James Bond led Daniel Craig to turn down offers of £80million to spy another day.
Former Bond Girl Caterina Murino , who worked with Craig on his first 007 movie Casino Royale, says the star felt the full weight of expectation on his shoulders when he took on the role.
And in an exclusive interview, she tells the Sunday People : “It’s hugely stressful being Bond. There’s a lot of money involved, so that also brought more tension – and a lot of that tension was on Daniel.”
Caterina, 38 – a former Miss Italy – paid tribute to Craig’s incredible determination and professionalism, which turned him into the most bankable star to ever play the role.
His four Bond movies have raked in £1.8billion in the last 10 years.
But she added: “It’s not easy to go back time and time again. It can be tiring to keep trying to find new things in the same role.”
After Craig, 48, was reported to be “done” with Bond, film bosses have been spotted meeting possible replacement Tom Hiddleston .
© Provided by Mirror Caterina believes Tom Hiddleston would make a good Bond Caterina, who played Bond Girl Solange, is close to producer Barbara Broccoli and backed Tom, 35 – star of BBC hit The Night Manager – to fill Craig’s shoes.
Speaking as she was unveiled as the face of a new 007 fragrance for women, she said: “I can understand why Daniel would not want to return. Bringing back the same role again can be complicated.
“But I’m a huge fan of Tom’s work. I believe Barbara will pick someone like that who has a theatre background.”
Of the stress of playing Bond, she added: “You study for the role, then there’s six months of shooting. It’s a very tiring movie. And Daniel is not just an actor, he’s a human being too.”
Craig was reported to have rejected an £80million pay cheque to return, but Caterina said: “After a while those actors don’t really think too much about the money.”
She said at times the pressure on Craig during filming was clear – and his reputation as a perfectionist saw him fighting frustration.
© Provided by Mirror Caterina played Solange in Casino Royale Caterina recalled: “Starting the movie, Daniel was not completely relaxed on set. The press were being so mean about him.
“People were expecting him to fail and you could feel the tension. It wasn’t just a challenge for Daniel, but for everyone making Casino Royale. The saga of whether the new Bond would work was constant.
“I could tell he had a small amount of doubt about his abilities at the beginning, but he also knew the role would change his life and he would go down in history.
“He was happy – but frightened, because everybody was looking at him. That was a lot to carry.”
Caterina said Craig pushed through his darkest times thanks to his relentless focus and hard work – often knuckling down for 18-hour days as he perfected each scene.
© Provided by Mirror Caterina Murino starred with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale She watched him doing repeated reshoots with director Martin Campbell until the star was satisfied he had captured the “intensity” of the younger 007.
Caterina said: “I remember the scene where I arrive at the casino and my screen husband is about to move his playing card.
“We shot that same scene and played the same card over and over for two days straight.
“Then Daniel said, ‘Don’t put the camera on me any more, what else can I do, I don’t know what to do any more.’ So many people laughed – Daniel is a perfectionist, but he’s also human.
“After two days shooting you can’t really create anything new.”
Glamorous Caterina romped with Bond in some of the film’s steamiest scenes, and clearly took the whiff of danger to heart – she is now the face of new fragrance, 007 for Women.
Since Bond she has starred in 16 movies and TV series, and will next be seen with Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke in US thriller Voice from the Stone.
And she credits Craig with helping to reinvent the role of the Bond girl – giving credibility to what was once a potential cliff edge for a young actress’s career.
She said: “Daniel’s professionalism and genius allowed everybody’s role to be taken more seriously.
“That’s really helped – a Bond girl is not such a cliché role now, they have more layers. It’s the same for villains too – Daniel has started a new era.”
© Provided by Mirror Caterina is the face of a new Bond-themed fragrance
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