The 007 star takes us behind the scenes of making No Time to Die.

In 2005, the news thatDaniel Craighad been cast as James Bond was met with a hail of criticism.

His hair was too blond.

His ears were too big.

He was too short.

It was even rumored that the then-obscure actor didn’t know how to drive a stick.

What would Bond’s creator,Ian Fleming, have said about the choice?

But Craig is not among them.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There was a time when you said thatSpectrewould be your last Bond movie.

DANIEL CRAIG:Yes.Why did you change your mind?

I finished that movie with a broken leg.

I’m not moaning about that; it’s just the way it was.

But I had a break.

It was five years, and we had an idea, an idea that I’d had onCasino Royale.

Just about, yeah.

I’m a huge fan of Danny, and I’d love, love to work with him.

It didn’t work out.

The problem is, with a Bond movie, there’s no hiding place.

It happens all the time in movies.

It’s just in a Bond movie it becomes this huge event that gets blown into something else.

But I’ve got massive, massive respect for Danny.

I love him very much.

Swing and a miss, you know.

Where is Bond at the start ofNo Time to Die?

Of course, that’s debatable how Bond could ever be retired.

I don’t think it’s Florida and golf.

I think that’s just been the way it’s panned out.

We started with an ending and worked backward.

I mean, how fortunate were we to get him?

Off the back ofBohemian Rhapsody, he was a very popular man.

We needed something special for this villain, and he brought it.

He’s a consummate professional.

He had a vision of a Bond villain, and it’s remarkable.

Could you talk about hurting your ankle?

Yeah, yeah, happily.

‘Til you’re really really bored I will talk about my ankle!

I mean, I got in really good shape, I was really happy with where I was.

It’s just the way it is.

I mean, that’s just the way it goes.

And I felt it go.

You know, ten weeks is sometimes the length of a movie shoot.Not on a Bond movie.

It’s just a small part of it.

So I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’

What will you miss about playing James Bond?I’ll miss everything, I think.

I’ll miss the collaboration.

Apart from Marvel movies, there aren’t movies that are as big as this.

I’ve had the privilege of being involved in it.

It was there before me, and it will be there after me.

So, yeah, I’ll miss it a lot.