Daniel Craig explains why he wouldn’t have played a gay role during James Bond stint

Daniel Craig has suggested that he “couldn’t” have played a gay role, like his current one in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, during his time as James Bond.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the former 007 star stated that it would have appeared “reactionary” if he had taken on a gay role while playing hyper-masculine, British icon James Bond.

In Queer, based on William S Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Craig stars as William Lee, a drunken gay man in 1950s Mexico who spends his days sniffing out younger lovers.

He sparks up a narcotic whirlwind romance with discharged American Navy serviceman Eugene (Drew Starkey), and the pair venture into the South American jungle in search of a  telepathy-inducing psychedelic.

Though critics appear divided on Guadagnino’s Queer as a whole, Craig has received critical acclaim for his captivating turn as William.

Reflecting on the role, Craig suggested that playing a gay character was “not a conversation” he “wanted” to have during his stint as Bond.

“I couldn’t have done this while doing Bond… It would look reactionary, like I was showing my range,” he explained. “Early on with Bond I thought I had to do other work, but I didn’t.”

He added: “It’s just not a conversation I wanted. I had it all the way through Bond anyway. Could there be this Bond? That Bond? So anything that is going to inflame that conversation? No –  life’s too short.”

He went on to state that, despite the film’s name, the fact William is a gay man in Queer is the “least interesting” aspect of it.

“Sexuality is the least interesting thing to me in this film. I mean, we all f**k. There’s a headline. ‘We all f**k!’ Let’s be grown-ups,” he said.

Craig has previously explained to PinkNews that he could “relate” to the complex character of William Lee, though he admitted he will “never really know” what the character would have experienced as queer person in the 1950s. 

“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 shared.

“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 star has also denied that he felt a responsibility to represent the LGBTQ+ community through his portrayal in Queer, explaining that he doesn’t feel it’s his “place” as a straight actor to do so.

Queer is out in US cinemas now, and will be released in UK cinemas on 13 December.

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