The name is Craig, fuckers ... Daniel Craig
By Stuart O'Connor
If there is a surlier actor on this planet than Daniel Craig, I am yet to meet him. And I'm yet to actually meet Daniel Craig himself. I spent about half an hour in the great one's presence on Sunday, yet I walked away none the wiser about what actually goes on behind those piercing blue eyes of his. One thing that I did learn, though, is this: his renowned hatred of journalists does appear to be genuine.
The setting for the press conference was a broom cupboard ... sorry, Screen 3 ... at London's Empire cinema in Leicester Square. Earlier in the afternoon the cinema's forecourt had been the scene of the red-carpet world premiere for Craig's latest project, Flashbacks of a Fool, which he executive produces as well as stars in. The carpet itself was graced by much of the cast of the film (which is pretty decent, by the way — our review will be online later this week) including Keeley Hawes, Claire Forlani, Jodhi May, Emilia Fox and Felicity Jones. Also treading the rug was Bryan Ferry, whose former band Roxy Music provides much of the film's music.
Daniel Craig on 'being used to' red-carpet premieres:
"No, I'm not. I can't get used to it!"
The low-budget Flashbacks of a Fool, written and directed by Craig's pal Baillie Walsh, tells the story of washed-up Hollywood actor Joe Scot (Craig), who is forced to confront the ghosts of his troubled past. The flashbacks of the title centre on Joe's teenage years in an English seaside town in the 1970s. Craig was joined at the press conference by Walsh and the film's two young costars — Harry Eden, who plays teenaged Joe, and the lovely (but oh-so-tiny) Felicity Jones, who plays Ruth, the object of young Joe's affections. (No Fox, Forlani, Hawes or May — they obviously had better things to do than talk to us.)
Felicity Jones on preparing for her role as a 1970s teenager in the film:
"It all started with the music, really. I spent a long time listening to Roxy Music and
David Bowie, which wasn't that much of a chore, actually; they happen to be quite good"
It's clear from the start of our time together that Mr Surly would rather be anywhere else as he sits down, glowers at the assembled hacks and swigs on his bottle of Corona. And it doesn't take long for his infamous love of certain four-letter words to kick in. (The day before, Craig had called a group of print journalists at a roundtable interview "cunts"). Asked how easy it would be for him to turn into a washed-up hasbeen like Joe Scot, Craig says: "Terribly easy. It would be the wrong answer to say he could have been anybody; that's who he was from the beginning when we made it. When Baillie wrote the movie for me, I wasn't doing what I'm doing today; but when we actually came to make the movie it seemed silly to change it. Who knows, that's the way things go. What was interesting for me is that you've got somebody who appears to have everything — or at least has the opportunity to have everything — and has fucked it up."
"You love swearing," chips in Walsh. "Yes," says Craig. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." But he stops short of calling us all cunts. That lightened the mood somewhat, but the most talkative and animated participant on the day was Walsh. Eden and Jones didn't have a lot to say — both seemed quite nervous, and Jones was constantly fiddling with her fingers and making goo-goo eyes at costar Eden ... it appears there could be some post-production romance in the air?
We had all been warned, both in the days before the press conference and as it began, that we were not to ask about James Bond. Of course, one person can't help themselves — in a roundabout way — as Craig is asked how much he's enjoying his elevated profile since he won the role many actors would kill for. "If I can make movies like this, then I'm going to get a huge amount of enjoyment out of it." And maybe one day he'll even display some of that enjoyment by cracking a smile during a press conference...
• Flashbacks of a Fool opens across the UK on Friday