Daniel Craig is back in his second performance as James Bond in Quantum of Solace.  This film picks up where 2006's Casino Royale left off, and portrays Bond as more serious, and solely focused on revenge. We sat down with Mr. 007 to shed some light on this new dark side of Bond’s personality, and working with director, Marc Forster, who has little action movie experience.

Filmazing: Is returning to the character of James Bond more of a continuation for you, or do you find something new each time?

Craig: This for me was always a continuation; it always seemed the end of Casino Royale was the beginning of something. With the death of Vesper—with this idea of betrayal, and also this organization in Quantum is worth digging into. There seemed to be unfinished business. We needed to tie those loose ends up. So, coming in, it was very clear to me. We wanted to solidify all those things.

Filmazing: What was it like running along the roofs in that Italian town?

Craig: It was very beautiful with very nice views.  We started rehearsing for the movie about two-and a half months before we started shooting, and we set up a studio with things for me to climb up and jump off of, which I did every day. I’d jump up onto things and sort of create moments of impact. So by the time we got to shooting the movie, we we’re pretty well rehearsed. There are moments when someone far better skilled takes over to do the really tricky bits. But, the jumps over the roof, the jumps from roof to roof, the jumps that slide down, the jumps over, that is all me. It was kind of fun.

Filmazing: Weren’t you scared?

Craig: I wasn’t scared. Concerned—yes. I was more concerned about getting it right more than anything else, because I didn’t want to do it again. There’s a leap from roof to roof to a balcony, and I think I stood up there and breathed quite heavily a couple of minutes before I did it. I knew I was safe; it was a psychological thing. Because, I’m wired, but I’m not wired so I will bounce up and down, I’m wired so if I fall they will catch me. I still have to do the leap. It’s just about getting it right and making it look right.

Filmazing: Do you have any influence over which directors you work with? 

Craig: I have a say on directors I get to work with, I give input.  Marc Forster’s name came up. It was a very easy choice. I said, ‘is Marc interested?’  ‘If he’s interested I’d happily work with him.' Directing is a big deal, and not everyone wants to do it. It’s a huge undertaking, and not all directors are jumping up wanting to do it. It was a no-brainer when Mark wanted to do it.

 Filmazing: Did that make you more nervous about doing stunts knowing that Marc didn't have a lot of experience directing action films?  

Craig:  Marc is a great story-teller, and we took every step so nothing could happen. There’s risk involved, and I get injured occasionally; I get stitches, and my shoulder gets messed up, but that’s not Marc’s fault. It’s my fault. I think everyone was publicly nervous about the fact that he was going to do it because he had no action experience. And how does a man with no action experience come into a Bond movie? Marc loved it; he was great. It's more because of his attitude, and he turned everyone around on the crew. He is so meticulous and knows exactly what he wants, and everyone could work with him very easily because of it. He is fabulous.

Filmazing: Have the two movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace met your expectations?

Craig:  Way beyond, Way beyond. I couldn’t have imagined the success of Casino Royale in my wildest dreams. If you’ve seen any of my other movies you would see the box office really isn’t the issue. It’s about getting the movie out for people to see it. It’s never been about making huge amounts of money.

Filmazing: How is Bond going to come to terms with all of his emotional damage?

Craig: I feel very confident now, whether we get the chance to make another movie or not. If we do another movie, we can go wherever we want.  I think emotionally now we’re kind of very secure, and there is nothing that is not possible. It will be about getting the right creative people involved. We can go more Bond like; we can have all of those things that have been missing from these to movies. I feel very strongly that we are grounded now.

Filmazing:  After 22 movies in the franchise, what is it about these last two Bond movies that people can’t wait to see?

Craig: I genuinely don’t know the answer. These movies are embedded in people’s memories. Sean Connery had a lot to do with this, he generally set this up. The movies were always made to be event movies. They are made to have a family experience. I remember going to Bond movies as a child. They have continued to put the money on the screen. Whatever has happened, no matter how good or bad it was in the past, they have put the money up there, and have had some ability to entertain. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson are total lovers of this franchise and protect it fiercely. They do the exact same thing that their father, famous James Bond producer, Albert R. Broccoli, did.