Daniel Craig has explained what it was that prompted him to return as James Bond despite mentally quitting the role.
In September, the actor will return as 007 in the spy’s 25th outing, No Time to Die, which has originally set to be released in April 2020.
While the film will mark Craig’s final time playing Bond, he previously revealed he had no desire to return after finishing work on Spectre, which was released in 2015.
However, in a new interview with GamesRadar, Craig has elaborated upon how he was convinced to play 007 one last time.
“I thought I probably was physically not capable of doing another,” Craig said. “For me, it was very cut and dried that I wasn’t coming back.”
However, after a two-year break, he was approached by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson and realised he had changed his mind.
“I went and did other things,” he said. “I got some separation. My family forgave me for being away from home for that length of time.”
Craig said that, during discussions, he came up with an idea about what the next film could be – a direct conclusion to the events seen in his first Bond film, Casino Royale (2006).
“We started talking about it and I went, ‘There might be a story we need to finish here – something we started in Casino [Royale]. Something to do with Vesper [Eva Green’s character], and Spectre, and something that was connected, in a way.’ It started to formulate. And I thought, ‘Here we go.’”
No Time to Die will be released in the UK on 30 September and in the US on 8 October.
