Reflecting on his decision, Daniel Craig revealed that playing a gay character wasn’t something he considered during his time as James Bond.
“I couldn’t have taken on this role while playing Bond—it would’ve seemed reactionary, as if I was trying to showcase my range,” Craig explained. “In the early days of Bond, I thought I needed to pursue other projects, but I didn’t.”
He continued, “It just wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have. I dealt with enough speculation during Bond—could Bond be this, or that? Anything that would fuel that debate? No. Life’s too short.”
Craig also commented that the character’s sexuality in Queer is far from the most compelling aspect of the story.
“William being a gay man is the least interesting part of this film. Sexuality isn’t what defines it. I mean, we all have sex. There’s your headline: ‘We all have sex!’ Let’s be adults about it,” he remarked.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, former James Bond actor Daniel Craig explained that portraying a gay character during his time as the hyper-masculine British spy might have seemed “reactionary.”
In Queer, a film based on William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novel, Craig takes on the role of William Lee, a gay man living in 1950s Mexico. Lee is a troubled alcoholic who spends his days pursuing younger men.
The story follows Lee as he begins a whirlwind, drug-fueled relationship with Eugene (played by Drew Starkey), a discharged American Navy serviceman. Together, they embark on an adventure into the South American jungle in search of a telepathy-inducing psychedelic.
While opinions on Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of Queer are mixed, critics have widely praised Craig for his compelling performance as William.
“I think that what fascinated me so much about this part is, is his emotional journey, and I could relate to most of it,” he said.
“I mean we thankfully don’t live in a country where it’s an illegal act anymore. The honest answer is, I can’t [understand what it was like for William]. All I can do is try and do it justice. That’s all I can do.”
The Knives Out: Glass Onion actor also clarified that he didn’t feel a responsibility to represent the LGBTQ+ community through his performance in Queer, explaining that, as a straight actor, it’s not his “place” to take on that role of representation.
Queer is now showing in U.S. cinemas and will hit theaters in the U.K. on December 13.
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