Daniel Craig says being James Bond has been "one of the best, most wonderful experiences" of his life.
The 51-year-old actor is set to appear in his fifth and final film in the 007 franchise when ‘No Time To Die’ – which was previously known as ‘Bond 25’ – hit cinemas in April next year, and has said working on the series for the past 13 years has been "amazing".
Daniel – who made his first appearance as the suave spy in 2006’s ‘Casino Royale’ – made his comments whilst speaking at the wrap party for ‘No Time To Die’, where he admitted he was "really quite drunk" but wanted to say a few words as he bid a final farewell to his run as the iconic character.
Speaking in a video uploaded to Twitter, he said: "I just want to say, and I am really quite drunk now so I won’t go on for long, this has been one of the best, most wonderful experiences I have ever had.
"You have all done the most amazing job. I could not be more proud to work with every single one of you on this production. I would like to thank you for this evening, for Barbara [Broccoli, producer], for putting it on. Thank goodness, we did this tonight."
After starring in ‘Casino Royale’, Daniel reprised his role in 2008’s ‘Quantum of Solace’, 2012’s ‘Skyfall’, and most recently in ‘Spectre’, which was released in 2015.
And his final outing as James Bond hasn’t been without drama, as the actor underwent "minor" surgery on his ankle back in May after he suffered an injury while performing a stunt on set in Jamaica.
The official Twitter account for the movie announced at the time that Daniel was set to undergo surgery, and insisted the setback would not affect the movie’s planned release date of April 8, 2020.
At the time, they wrote: "Daniel Craig will be undergoing minor ankle surgery resulting from an injury sustained during filming in Jamaica. Production will continue whilst Craig is rehabilitating for two weeks post-surgery. The film remains on track for the same release date in April 2020."
And a source later explained the injury, claiming Daniel had "slipped and fell quite awkwardly" during one of the last scenes shot in Jamaica.
They said: "Daniel was suited and booted for one of the last scenes in Jamaica. He was sprinting during filming when he slipped and fell quite awkwardly. He was in quite a lot of pain and was complaining about his ankle. As you’d expect he was also pretty angry that it had happened. He threw his suit jacket on the ground in sheer frustration."
Daniel Craig: James Bond has been a ‘wonderful experience’
