The actor played 007 for five films over 15 years.
Daniel Craig is thrilled with his tenure as James Bond. ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the 53-year-old actor ahead of the release of No Time to Die, his fifth and final Bond film, and he reflected on his 15-year journey playing the secret agent.
"I am very proud of what we have done. I am so lucky to have had this opportunity the last 16 years. What happens in the future, it just feels like it is going to take 15 years to unpack all of this, to figure out what what just happened," he tells ET. "Sometimes it was a slog, it has gone like that [snaps his fingers]."
Craig shares that he remembers being announced as the next Bond "like it was yesterday," but still finds it "so impossible" to "put a kind of explanation" on the whole experience.
"I have changed immeasurably since I began this in my professional life, and in my personal life," he says. "... I try to self-examine a little bit. It's given me a confidence that I didn't have when I started off, this confidence to sort of try and make the best of what you have and make the best movies you can. That is all I have ever tried to do [with] these films."
"We have a beautiful, beautiful bunch of people, actors and some of the best crew in the world," Craig continues. "That is all I ever, ever wanted out of this."
While Craig is saying goodbye to the franchise in No Time to Die, the film introduces a new character, Nomi, the MI6 agent who inherits the 007 title when Bond's in exile. Played by Lashana Lynch, the 33-year-old actress is the first Black female to take on the secret agent role.
"I come from a working class background, Jamaican background, and me and my family have had conversations over the years of how we are going to put our mark on the world, and what our children are going to feel and relish in, the legacy that we produce for them," Lynch tells ET. "Even being casted in a Bond movie was something that was not in my sphere. I am a manifestor, and I have kind of tried to manifest a lot in my career, and this just passed me and I didn't even realize."
"It was nice to be taken by surprise and not have to really push hard like I have the last 10 years to even get in the room," she continues. "... I think sometimes you should just process slowly and allow yourself to gather your thoughts and stay present, so I am just staying present to enjoy the moment with these guys and celebrate everything there is."
Tune in to Monday's episode of Entertainment Tonight for more of ET's interview with the No Time to Die cast. No Time to Die arrives in theaters Oct. 8.
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