Forming a strong bond

The 25th film in the franchise, No Time to Die starts with Bond holidaying with French psychologist Madeleine Swann, played by Lea Seydoux, in a town in southern Italy, but their romantic getaway is disrupted by the villain organization Spectre, resulting in a misunderstanding that splits the couple.

Five years later, Bond, who is enjoying a "tranquil "retirement in Jamaica, is invited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist and a deadly biological weapon lost with him. Lyutsifer Safin, an enigmatic villain who also has a traumatic past, emerges as the latest dangerous enemy that Bond has to face off against.

Speaking about his new movie, Craig says he has tried to keep the character as close to himself as possible. "The less invincible he (Bond) is, the more I feel like he's a real character. I've tried to keep him as a real soul, as someone who's affected by the world and therefore grounded somewhere in reality," he explains.

Falling in love with performing at just 6 years old, Craig started acting on the stage of National Youth Theatre of Great Britain as a teenager. He says he had never thought he would portray Bond before being chosen ahead of hundreds of other candidates, including Hugh Jackman and Colin Farrell.

"Honestly, I didn't believe that. I thought about being James Bond and being lots of other people as a child. But as an actor, I never thought that would happen," he laughs, adding that he even pinched himself to confirm he was not dreaming on the film set of No Time to Die.

In the recently released documentary Being James Bond, now available on multiple Chinese streaming platforms such as Tencent Video and iQiyi, Craig reveals how he endured immense speculation over whether the first "blond Bond" could be the qualified successor to continue a cinematic dynasty that started with the late Sean Connery.